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After years of negotiations, the SET teachers’ union of Chad has secured a revision of the decree governing the status of teachers. This is a first step that rekindles hope for improved working conditions and opens up a new phase of negotiations. But many challenges lie ahead.

A union on the frontline against inaction

“The SET’s national executive had entered into negotiations with the government in 2023 regarding the special status of teachers. It is a status that is not fully implemented and has, in fact, become obsolete,” explains SET General Secretary Bolmbari Ngolaou. The 6th SET Congress served as an opportunity to re-launch the negotiations, which had been suspended for several months. But the renewal of the talks was not without its difficulties: “We had to threaten to take strike action and then actually stage a three-day strike, called by the SET national executive,” says Ngolaou.

Union action receives broad support

While it was the SET that initiated the negotiations, the union was not alone in speaking out for the teaching profession. “There are many unions in the education sector. But it was the SET that initially secured the negotiations on the revision of Decree 477 of 1992. A number of other education unions then rallied to the cause,” explained Ngolaou. This solidarity enabled the movement to grow in strength, eventually leading to the closure of all schools, both public and private, during a three-day national strike.

The struggle is far from over

On 6 November 2025, after lengthy negotiations and relentless campaigning, a revised decree finally materialised.

In a statement issued on 10 November 2025, the SET national executive highlighted the significance of this breakthrough while advising caution: “This decree sets out the framework regarding the status of teachers. It is, therefore, a first step. Now we need to see what the government actually does in concrete terms, because the decree provides for certain benefits, such as bonuses and allowances. We need to move on to the costing phase, and that is what we are working on at the moment.”

The SET statement goes on to say that “the national executive committee also urges members to remain side by side, steadfast and united in carrying out forthcoming actions to ensure that Decree 2850 of 6 November 2025 is translated into action”.

Between hope and economic uncertainty

While the government consistently points to the country’s fragile financial situation, the teaching profession highlights the resources generated by gold and antimony. The SET leader notes that “for teachers, as long as there are billions in public revenue, measures must be taken to improve workers’ living standards. Teachers are convinced that the government has the means to review their pay through a series of allowances and bonuses.”

Outward-looking trade unionism

The SET is also part of an international drive linked to Education International’s Go Public! Fund Education campaign for increased public funding for education. Soon to be launched in Chad, the campaign is an urgent call for governments to invest in public education, a fundamental human right and public good, and to invest more in teachers, the single most important factor in achieving quality education.

The revision of the decree on the status of teachers marks an important step forward for the teachers’ trade union movement in Chad. But as Bolmbari Ngolaou underlines, “this is no time for undue celebration”: union mobilisation remains more necessary than ever to ensure that the promises are translated into action and that teachers’ living standards see lasting improvements. It is crucial, therefore, that unions remain vigilant and united, to ensure that this legal framework is translated into tangible gains.