LUANDA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Association of Private Higher Education Institutions of Angola has suspended the employment contract of more than 13,500 employees amid the financial distress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it said Monday in a statement.
After the Angolan government issued a decree prohibiting the charging of tuition fees, the association decided to avoid further accumulation of debts by dismissing more than 8,800 teachers and nearly 4,700 non-teaching staff, citing the lack of short-term solutions to resuming academic activities in the country, according to the statement.
Classes have been suspended in Angola since March in response to the coronavirus, with 60 percent of the fees that students had to pay. However, the situation changed after the government ordered the suspension of the payment pending the reopening of schools.
A total of 7,000 people have lost their jobs in Angola since March and the figures could reach 12,000 due to the pandemic, the country's General Labor Inspectorate said earlier this week.
Angola has reported 749 COVID-19 cases, including 29 deaths and 221 recoveries. Enditem
