Schools finally reopen in Inongo after nearly two months of strikes

Pupils returned to public schools in the city and territory of Inongo, in Maï-Ndombe province, on Monday, October 19, nearly two months after the official September 1 start of the school year. Teachers had been on strike over unpaid salary arrears. Talks between the provincial governor and teachers’ unions helped resolve the dispute, and provincial education minister Justin Iyolo Molapi welcomed the reopening while urging schools that had not yet resumed to follow suit. The remaining challenge is to keep classes going and help pupils make up for lost time.