Teachers to get allowance if processes completed

By EHEYUC SESERU
The Mamose regional Teaching Service Commission office says all processes should be completed before teachers are paid their mining enclave allowances.
Regional adviser Joseph Ouyoumb said: “All schools are clustered in a district. Names of the schools must be submitted to the provincial education board (PEB) for endorsement and recommendation before a list of teachers to benefit from the allowances can be submitted to TSC for approval.”
He said PEB was the authority, but the allowances for teachers should be included in yearly budgets.
“If the process is incomplete then we will see holdups. The process must be completed. Right now it’s incomplete. We have processes to go through. This processes are set in the TSC and Education Acts,” Ouyoumb said.
Teachers in more than 400 mining impacted schools in the Bulolo district of Morobe had missed out on their allowance. The mining enclave allowance is paid by the Department of Personal Management to public servants serving in mining districts. Teachers in 368 elementary, 55 primary schools and Bayune Lutheran High, Grace Memorial Secondary and Bulolo Technical School haven’t been receiving the five per cent mining enclave allowance since 2015.
Ouyoumb said he was aware of the situation for teachers in Bulolo but had told Morobe education chairman Andrew Gena when in Lae recently that all the processes should be followed. Bulolo education manager John Tjipet said the allowance was due to be paid in Pay 26, the last fortnightly pay of 2018. “They haven’t received that since 2015. Other public servants in the district have received their allowance. There is much talk about it in the district,” he said.
“Positions of teachers in the district are mining enclave positions. The allowance is an added five per cent on teachers’ total salary. Teachers are paid through the Teaching Service Commission.”
Bayune Lutheran High head teacher Rev Christopher Elap said teachers were advised that their allowance would be paid in the last fortnight.