Libyan teachers’ strike escalates as union demands major education reforms

Teachers in Libya have escalated their protests over salaries into an open-ended strike at public schools. Protests began on September 13, the day the school year was due to start. Sit-ins were held outside schools and government buildings in the capital, Tripoli. Two weeks later, Libya’s teachers union stepped up the campaign with a nationwide strike. It has kept students out of classrooms across the country. On Sunday, several Libyan unions representing other sectors threatened to join the strike unless the government entered talks to address a cost of living crisis . Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah of the internationally recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli met with cabinet members to discuss a response to this crisis.