The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
By Julius Odeke
The Minister for Education and Sports Maj Jessica Alupo has expressed her disappointment over the complaints her office has received from the 50, 000 Primary Schools Teachers and Secondary Schools teachers, who have not received their salaries for October, 2012.
Alupo stated that her ministry is not to be blamed but the Ministry for finance which is responsible for effecting payments of the civil servants.
“The responsibility for preparing pay change reports and submitting them to the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Public Service rests with the Chief Administrative Officer of each District and Town Clerks of Municipalities,” she added.
She added that the responsibility to check the pay change reports, approve them and send them to the Uganda Computer Services for payment of the teachers’ salaries rests with the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Public Service.
The minister therefore, stated that all the Chief Administrative Officer of each District and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Service to should ensure that they bear responsibility for management of the pay roll.
She says her ministry has established that 25,919 Primary Teachers and 22,153 Secondary School teachers have not received their salaries for October, 2012.
She said that accounting Officers (Chief Administrative Officers) were required to validate the records that were deleted and for those that were found to be valid, to submit the information to the Ministry of Public Service for reactivation to payroll with arrears. Where submissions were received, the teachers have since been reinstated on the payroll. CAOs that did not act and validate records in time bear responsibility.
In the case of head teachers, a total of 90 Local Governments submitted verified lists by October 2012 and 8 Local Governments in November 2012. Head teachers and deputies of 51 Local Governments were reinstated on the payroll in October 2012 and paid salary arrears.
The balance of 47 is to be handled in November 2012. All validated cases that are still pending re-access to payroll, should be submitted to Ministry of Public Service for reactivation with arrears. Accounting Officers for the remaining 37 Local Governments have been directed to submit the returns by 16th of November, 2012 without fail.
She said that any Teacher who would not have been paid by Monday 19 November 2012 should contact the Ministry of Public Service.
