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Government strives to start school year on Monday

    NAIROBI

    The Central African Republic government has begun paying salary arrears to civil servants in an effort to ensure that teachers report to classes on Monday for the beginning of the new school year, AFP reported on Thursday.

    Soldiers began getting their pay on Tuesday, followed later in the week by other civil servants. AFP reported that delays in salary payments have often led to social tension. During the past 10 years the opening of school terms has often been delayed by up to three months, the agency reported.

    The attempted coup of 28 May 2001 also had a disruptive effect on education. However, AFP reported that with government prodding, some dedicated teachers remain in the country to complete the school year by running make-up courses during the official vacation period. CAR is already very short of teachers because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Research by UNAIDS suggests that by 2005 between 25 percent and 50 percent of all the country's teachers will have died from AIDS.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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