As another academic year begins, the recurring problem of teachers being removed from the payroll has once again come to the forefront. This week, concerns intensified as over 8,500 teachers across the country did not receive their fortnightly salary. The Department of Education mandates that all teachers in public schools must complete a resumption form upon arrival at their posting, prior to the start of the academic year. Education Minister Lucas Dawa Dekena confirmed that 8,518 teachers were omitted from the payroll due to an auto-suspension exercise, constituting 13 percent of the total teaching workforce in the nation. Expressing frustration, Minister Dekena attributed the issue to what he termed as the "incompetency of Provincial Education Authorities." Under the Organic Law of 1995, Provincial Education Authorities report directly to Governors and Provincial Administrators, making them not answerable to, nor disciplinable by, the Secretary for Education.
Minister Dekena called upon Provincial Governors and Administrators to hold Provincial Education Advisors accountable for their failure to ensure that teachers' Resumption of Duty Summary Sheets (RoDSS) were integrated into the Alesco Pay System. It's noteworthy that most provinces have decentralized salary functions, except for Southern Highlands and Gulf. Initially scheduled for Pay 5, the auto-suspension exercise was extended to Pay 10 by the Secretary for Education due to the substantial number of teachers affected. All provinces were instructed to ensure timely submission of RoDSS, with provisions for those without access to the Alesco payroll system to send documentation to Port Moresby promptly. With over 8,500 teachers now without pay, the Education Minister has issued a ministerial directive to the Department of Education to defer the auto-suspension until Pay 12, scheduled for the end of June. The ongoing issue highlights systemic challenges within the education sector, underscoring the need for improved coordination between provincial and national authorities to ensure timely and accurate salary disbursements for teachers, essential for the smooth functioning of the education system. Also read
Comments are closed.
|
Papua New Guinea Breaking NewsPapua New Guinea daily News updates Let Your Voice be heard: Submit your news articles, commentaries, letters , Photos, Media Releases etc to us on this email: [email protected]
Mining & PetroleumTop Links |