Teachers’ September salaries delay again
Teachers in about 10 districts are yet to get their September 2017 salaries, prompting Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) to express concern over the continued cases of delayed salaries.
TUM general secretary Charles Kumchenga said a report from the Accountant General on the delayed salaries attributes the situation to late submission of General Paper (GP) 5 by district education managers (DEMs) through councils which facilitate the payments.
In a telephone interview yesterday on the sidelines of World Teachers Day, he said that in as far as the concept of decentralisation is concerned; the delays by the DEMs might in the long run portray a bad picture despite being good for the teachers.
He said: “Some of the DEMs make submissions before the deadline while some do not, and it is very sad that despite our salary payment system being decentralised, we still have to face challenges in accessing our salaries. It is very painful that even when celebrating World Teacher’s Day, some teachers have not yet received salaries.”
Kumchenga said district councils where teachers are yet to get their salaries include Lilongwe, Rumphi, Mwanza, Karonga, Nkhata Bay, Blantyre, Mulanje, Nkhotakota, Phalombe and M’mbelwa (Mzimba).
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development spokesperson Muhlabase Mughogho asked for a questionnaire which was not responded to by the time we went to press.
In August, the teachers threatened to interrupt the system once they get annoyed.
The teachers said it was becoming a habit that whenever teachers are on holiday, government always finds a way of coming up with excuses.
