K200mil blowout for teachers

By GLENDA AWIKIAK
Teachers’ personal emolument has had a blowout of almost
K200 million over the last two years, Teaching Service Commission chairman Baran Sori says.
Teachers’ salaries, allowances and other benefits and entitlements have not been sorted out fully and accordingly, as provinces had been having shortfalls in the budget allocation they received each year.
Sori said money released to the provinces for every sector was what was approved by Parliament.
What was appropriated for the year did not have to look into the outgoing year’s issues.
“Money budgeted for the year has to be spent on what’s appropriated for that particular year,” Sori said.
“Put a stop on sorting outstanding issues with a new year’s budget.
“Pay for what’s appropriated for and if you have outstanding issues, then budget that for the following year.
‘Outstanding issues must not be sorted with what’s being appropriated for the next year, and that can be the reason for the shortfall every year.
“Take the list of the outstanding matters to the Treasury and negotiate or find some ways to sort those matters, or outstanding matters can be budgeted for the next year.
“Demand the Treasury to release the budget warrant so you would know the allocation and could look for monies that are not used and use that to offset outstanding matters.”
These were the discussions, resolutions and sharing during the weeklong education advisers’ and directors’ consultation workshop last week.
The workshop opened up a lot of discussions regarding teachers’ pay issues, Sori said.
It was an eye opener for many of the education advisers as they heard and learnt a lot of things they never knew, he said.
The workshop has helped them to better understand processes in the teachers’ emolument budget, and has better equipped to attend to these next year and beyond.
“Provincial administration authorities have a lot of power to move the money allocated for the province because all the money for all the sectors are all in one basket,” Sori said.