Full Breakdown
Libya’s Nationwide Teachers’ Strike Delays the School Year
By Drooid · · How we work
Strike Overview
On October 1, 2026, teachers gathered outside the prime minister’s headquarters in Tripoli, demanding a unified salary scale, overdue payments and health-insurance coverage. The protest follows sit-ins that began on the deadline of September 13 when schools were slated to reopen. Within two weeks the action expanded into an open-ended, nationwide strike across public schools, halting classes for an estimated 1.6 million public-school students. The Ministry of Education has not commented on wage demands, though it has said it will adjust the school calendar, including cancelling holidays, to recover lost teaching days.
Background and Context
Libya’s education system has been destabilised since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that removed Muammar Gaddafi. The country remains split between the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar. Earlier this year the nation also endured widespread power cuts and labour unrest at its largest oilfield. Teachers cite low salaries—monthly pay ranging from 1,000 to 2,500 Libyan dinars (? $155-$390)—and deteriorating school facilities as primary grievances.
Key Figures
- Mustafa Al-Bahilil – head of the teachers union in Ain Zara (Tripoli outskirts).
- Mohammed Al-Jahawi – head of the teachers union in Benghazi.
- Abou Raoui – spokesman for the Libyan general teachers’ union.
- Hamza al-Firjani – Tripoli teacher who works a second job to supplement his salary.
- Fatima Ali – 37-year-old Tripoli teacher protesting for wage parity.
Official Statements & Responses
The Tripoli-based education ministry has held several meetings on teachers’ health-insurance demands but has not issued a statement on wage negotiations. It indicated plans to modify the academic calendar to offset missed classes. The teachers’ union has warned that further escalation, including a possible general strike, could follow if concrete measures are not taken.
Verbatim Quotes
- “These are not demands, but rather rights – and rights have to be taken,” — Mustafa Al-Bahilil
- “The profession now demands tangible action and concrete measures,” — Abou Raoui, spokesman for the Libyan general teachers' union
These statements underscore the unions’ view that the demands constitute basic rights and that the profession now seeks “The profession now demands tangible action and concrete measures,”