A section of Primary and secondary education inspectors from the Kisangani 1 subdivision in Tshopo Province in Democratic Republic of Congo staged a protest on Monday, September 1, the opening day of the school year, demanding payment of bonuses they say have been unfairly withheld.
The inspectors, who marched to the provincial inspectorate headquarters, accuse authorities of discrimination, noting that only 147 agents out of more than 1,000 listed in Kisangani 1 and Kisangani 2 have received the bonuses since August 14.
“This is injustice,” the protesters said, adding that repeated petitions to national authorities, including the Minister of Education, have gone unanswered. The inspectors boycotted work for the entire day and warned they would escalate to a radical strike if the issue is not resolved quickly.
Martin Alali, provincial secretary of the Tshopo 1 Education Inspectors’ Union, said the absence of inspectors threatens the credibility of school reopening statistics.
“Only inspectors can provide an accurate report of back-to-school activities,” he stressed.
The demonstration drew the attention of the provincial Minister of Security, who met with the protesters and promised to initiate discussions with higher authorities to address their grievances.
