Teacher paid only 88t a fortnight

 By DOROTHY MARK

A TEACHER in Madang claims he received only 88 toea as his fortnightly salary last week.

The teacher, who asked not to be identified, said when he did not receive any pay slip, he decided to check his bank account. 

The bank statement showed that only 88t was deposited from the salary section of the national education department.

“I got one 50t, one 20t, one 10t, one 5t, one 2t and one 1t. Imagine that,” he said.

Another teacher, Freedah Darek, who teaches at Dumpu Primary School in the Usino local level government, said she received only K56. Her husband, who is teaching at the Talidig Vocational Centre, was paid only K39.

Darek said teachers were adults who had families to look after and did not deserve to receive such amounts as salary for fulltime work.

“We spend the whole day standing and teaching and at night times we spend half the night doing lesson plans for the next day’s work. We don’t deserve this,” Darek said.

She said she was paid only K153 during the Christmas period and had not been paid when she got K56.

A Good Shepherd Lutheran High School teacher received K89.66. Nine others received less than K100.

An official at the Madang education salary section said the problem was with the Port Moresby pay office and so it was hard for the divisional officers to comment.

In some schools, teachers getting paid roam around in town while teachers toiling in the classrooms are struggling to get on the payroll.

They also complained that the salary section in Madang was too slow  processing restoration forms for teachers to be put back on payroll. Others found their pay slips sent to other provinces.

Saraleen Aropa, who teaches at Kesewai Primary School, said her pay slips were sent to Northern.

“Right now I couldn’t get a loan because the bank requires my pay slip. I don’t know why the education department cannot get so many things right,” Aropa said.