The Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Mwanza Regional Chairman, Dr Anthony Diallo, has defended vigorously the government’s position in connection with the welfare of teachers saying that the state has made praiseworthy efforts to meet their demands.
Dr Diallo was responding to a question asked by one Chacha during an open debate at St. Augustine university of Tanzania.
The debate has been hosted by the Department of Sociology (BASO). It dwelt on the Impact of Socialization for social economic development.
The general feeling now is that teachers have made their salary arrears a project, Mr Diallo said. “ I think it is unfair to continue blaming the government in connection with the arrears at this moment.
Most of the debt has already been settled,” he said. He said that he suspected that some dishonest employees at the Ministry of Finance (Treasury) were involved in an unending conspiracy with scrupulous teachers to keep the debt complaints simmering continually.
Dr Anthony said that the government has made all possible efforts to ensure that teachers are paid their salaries and other perks in time and that not much is yet to be paid so far in terms of salary arrears and a variety of allowances. He added that vetting needs to be carried out before remitting some of the remaining payments.
Without an elaborate vetting process the government will end up handing money to teachers or other people who do not deserve payment.
However, the guest speaker at the event, Dr Khamis Kigwangala, said that it was not the right time to speak about teachers’ salary arrears and other complaints involving money because the government is still working on the remaining portion of the debt.
The National Assembly was told last month that teachers’ arrears amounting to billions of shillings will be settled this fiscal year if the ongoing process of evaluation of the debts is completed within schedule.
Minister for Education and Vocational Training Dr Shukuru Kawambwa told Parliament that evaluation of the arrears is going on jointly between his ministry and Chama cha Walimu Tanzania (CWT).
Dr Kawambwa said the government is committed to settling teachers’ outstanding debts emanating from leave allowances, salary adjustments and transfer allowances.
“The process of evaluating the arrears is going on well and hopefully we will be done and ready to settle the debt within this budget year,” he said.
Source Tanzania Daily News
