PAUL Sematlane, the Chief Executive of Progressive Association of Lesotho Teachers (PALT) has asked the Minister of Education and Training Ntlhoi Motsamai to specify the actual date on which teachers should expect to receive their August salaries. Mr Samatlane’s letter follows the minister’s public announcement earlier on August 24, that due to technical problems, including the fact that as a result of Covid-19 pandemic the South African based consultant who was engaged to work with the Public Service Commission, Teaching Service Department as well as the Ministry of Finance to address the assortment of teachers’ problems could not be available in Lesotho physically.
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Aug. 29, 2020
METRO REPORTER AND NKOATE THAMAE
3 min read
Yes minister, but when is when?
PAUL Sematlane, the Chief Executive of Progressive Association of Lesotho Teachers (PALT)
The technical problems include internet failure and system breakdown that took well over five days according to Ms Motsamai.
“Following your public statement made for media consumption on the 24th August 2020, the PALT take this opportunity to register its regret for this unfortunate circumstance affecting teachers in particular and your ministry in general.
We therefore kindly request the Honourable Minister to specify the actual date on which teachers should expect to receive the August salaries. It is relevant to advise here that once again the Ministry of Education and Training should avoid accumulating payment of salary arrears for teachers,” stated PALT letter.
Asked for a comment, Lesotho Teacher’s Trade Union (LTTU) president Letsatsi Ntsibulane expressed his disappointment saying the delay is adding salt to the wounds as teachers still have unresolved grievances: “The delaying of paying teachers’ salaries is nothing but clear symptoms of dishonesty by the Ministry of Education because this is not the first time they (Ministry of Education) are playing tricks with us. Why should these kind of problems always affect teachers and no other public servants.”
Mr Ntsibulane said one had to take into account that a lot of grievances of teachers had not yet been resolved and “now when you expect progress on addressing them such as salary increments, teaching structures and others, you have delayed salaries.”
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In their joint statement following the minister’s announcement, teachers’ associations revealed that they had a prior meeting with the minister where they received the sad news of delayed salaries “due to ambiguous reasons such as using system failure and absence of consultant as excuse.”
The joint statement by Lesotho Teachers Trade Union(LTTU), Lesotho Association of Teachers(LAT), Lesotho School Principal Association(LESPA) and Progressive Association of Lesotho Teachers(PALT) states: “We were compelled to put pressure on the Minister of Education and urged her to draft statement meant to address teachers’ concerns which comprised of the following points: to state reasons why teachers should not get salaries well on time, to be precise about exact day for teachers payday, to negotiate with banks and insurance companies to refrain from charging penalties for the late payment of their monthly premiums and to make apology statement for depriving teachers of the right to get salaries on their pay day which is against Labour Code Order 24 of 1992, International labour Organization(ILO) conventions and United Nations Protocols.”
Members of the public have expressed their differing reactions towards the minister’s announcement with some criticizing the minister for not being considerate to the teachers and children’s plight while some posed an open question to the teachers: “You have been paid while staying at home doing nothing all these months, why are you complaining?” asked one Phalla Motiane on Facebook referring to the lockdown period due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Attempts by Metro Reporter to get latest developments on the delayed teachers’ salaries from the office of the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Education did not succeed as the newcomer was only expected to take over the office on Monday August 31.
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