More than 3,000 teachers of kindergartens, secondary schools and universities demonstrated yesterday at Sukhbaatar Square, demanding a doubling of their salary. If Parliament does not accede to the demand by April 9, the teachers announced they would go on strike.

The protesting teachers raised slogans like “Reduce Taxes”, “Recognize the worth of teachers”, “Officials who are getting rich on budget money should be ashamed of themselves” and “Raise the salary!”

The Mongolian Labor Union has found that 70 percent of families depend on salaries or pension. The average household income is MNT363,594, while the average expenses are MNT367,466. Workers in the education sector say they meet the deficit by borrowing money. Heating and electricity costs have risen and prices are constantly rising. The Government’s decision to reduce its expenditure per student will mean MNT 1 billion less in the salary fund in Ulaanbaatar alone. School closures because of infectious diseases have also left teachers partly paid.

Sh.Enkhtuya, teacher of School No.15 of Khan-Uul province, said her family of four live on MNT60,000 a month as the rest of her income goes to bank loan repayment. She has worked for 16 months for the state and is paid MNT260,000, plus 10 percent incentive for leading a class. Even though the basic salary was raised by 20 percent in 2008, other additional payments were stopped. The State no longer pays for health insurance.

Teachers cannot take apartment loans because the banks prefer applicants earning at least MNT500,000 a month. Some 60 percent of teachers have bank loans.