Independent body to oversee teachers' affairs, says PM

By Martha Majura

Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda

An independent body been formed for the sole purpose of addressing teachers’ challenges and especially salary related discrepancies, the government said clarifying that the Public Service Recruitment Secretariat will however still oversee most other formalities.


The announcement was divulged yesterday in Parliament by Prime Minister, Mizengo Pinda during the PM’s question and answer session.
He was responding to a question raised by Dalali Kafumu (Igunga, CCM) who wanted to know when the government will address what he described as ‘the long overdue teachers’ problems’ and especially, ‘salary payment delays.’

In his explanation, the Prime Minister said the ongoing discrepancies in salary payment for teachers is for the most part, the teachers own fault.

Detailing, the PM said, when teachers switch their appointed work stations without following set procedures, then the data base through which their payments are channeled are undermined because the transfer information is not synchronised and until the data is updated the payments are left pending.

“When teachers decide to switch work stations without giving any official notice it causes confusion when it comes to paying their salaries because the records are noted updated,” he said.

Introducing a solution to the problem, Pinda said: “With the introduction of the Lawson system in the Public Service secretariat Recruitment, teachers will no longer be able to change data randomly.”

Further, the PM bid teachers, especially the newly appointed ones, to follow official procedures ahead of any station switch.

He said first, they are to report to their allocated work stations then while there, start processing their transfer to ensure that when they move to other work stations, then their records are also updated on the system.

In another development, the Prime Minister said he will liaise with the Public Service Recruitment Secretariat to develop a better method of conducting interviews to avoid incidents of thousands of applicants submitting applications for the same posts.

He was responding to a question by Mariam Kisangi (Special Seats, CCM) who wanted to know if the government has any plans to change the current application and interviewing system in order to avoid the unmanageable high number of candidates competing for a mere handful of posts.

In yet another development, the government has said it will not omit the experience record requirement in job placement consideration.

“We cannot do that because we are looking for competent people to fill in the posts…so experience will remain a requirement,” the Prime Minister said in response to a legislator’s suggestion that the requirement be foregone to allow for more hiring of entry level employees.