Teachers to get new pay system in April

Paying teachers' salaries directly into their bank accounts is an arrangement that can only be arranged over time as it has its own complications, the Teaching Service Department has said,

Acting Chief Education Officer in the Teaching Service Department (TSD), Mr. Lekula Matlejane, announced  this in response  to concerns by the Lesotho Teachers Trade Union (LTTU) that the TSD is reluctant to facilitate payment of teachers' salaries directly into teachers' bank accounts like it happens with the rest of the civil service.

Mr. Matlejane said this would involve changing the current payment system for the teachers because unlike  civil servants whose salaries are prepared by human resources departments based within their ministerial head quarters, teachers' payments are processed from the schools.

 Unlike civil servants who are hired by the Public Service Commission, teachers are hired by school managers, with some of the schools far from urban centres and without any banking facilities. One other problem that can be anticipated was when a teacher resigned or died as it usually takes sometime before the TSD knows about such an occurrence, he said.

Consultations are on-going however with all stakeholders including teachers, principals, banks and the Public Service Commission and meetings will be held at district level to report to the stakeholders on whatever complications may be brought about by introduction of such a system. The aim is for such consultations to be completed by the end of the financial year so that the new system can be introduced by the start of the next financial year in April.

LTTU's Mr. Vuyani Tyhali had told a three-day meeting of the Union's National Council in Maseru earlier this week that the current system is costly to teachers because they were being charged high commissions when trying to cash their cheques and were also unable to get bank loans like other civil servants.
07 January 2004