Teachers advised to report payroll officers taking bribes

By JINA AMBA
TEACHERS Services Commission chairman Samson Wangihomie has advised a group of teachers making allegations of corrupt practices in the salary office to name the officers involved.
He was replying to a group of teachers who gathered outside the Education Department office in Waigani alleging that some in the salary office were receiving bribes to fix pay-related issues.
Wangihomie said the teachers must identify the officers involved.
He said if the officers had asked the teachers to be paid through an account, the account details should be given to the commission and the Education Department so that the officers could be dealt with.
Wangihomie also said if a teacher was giving money to the salary officer to do his or her job, then “they are not real teachers”.
He warned teachers and pay officers to stop any alleged practice of corruption in the department.
Teacher Simon Nara alleged that there were officers at the department’s salary office colluding with some teachers.
Nara said teachers were hardworking public servants and did not deserve to be treated like this.
Meanwhile, PNG Teachers Association Central province president Joseph Kua called on the department to renew a salary fixation agreement which had expired.
He said the last salary fixation agreement for a three-year term between the association and commission had expired on Dec 31, 2019.
But Wangihomie said the agreement could not be renewed because of the Covid-19 and the unavailability of funds.