The Ministry of Education must come up with a clear explanation of why FNPF deductions for teachers have not been deposited into their accounts for the past two months.
Opposition Member of Parliament, Premila Kumar highlighted this as concerns have been raised that the Ministry has not paid the FNPF contributions of teachers since the beginning of the year.
Kumar says teachers are also frustrated that their payslips, particularly after receiving their first salary is not accessible on the FEMIS.
She says the last payslip was issued on the 27th of January 2025, which is deeply concerning as the teachers have a right to know what has gone wrong and when it will be fixed.
The MP says the Ministry’s silence is only worsening the situation.
She says pay slips are crucial for teachers not only to verify earnings but also to access loans or to purchase essential household items on hire purchase, especially when they are transferred or take up new postings.
Kumar says teachers are being denied basic financial services, while teachers who have upgraded their qualifications are still waiting for their salary upgrades.
She further says that according to teachers, despite repeated written requests from the Ministry’s HR department, there has been no response.
Kumar says the Minister for Education must urgently explain why deductions have not been deposited, why are pay slips not available on FEMIS, why new graduate teachers are not paid, why salary upgrades are delayed and why affected teachers are being ignored.
She adds that this situation is a disgrace and the Minister must urgently address these issues and provide clear answers.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Aseri Radrodro says new graduates need to undertake a process of induction where they have a responsibility to provide the information and documentation to the Ministry.
He says when the appointment comes, they need to sign the appointment letter and send it to the Ministry.
The Minister says if they do not do that, they will prolong the processing of their pay because the system needs their endorsement.
Concerns have also been raised that the Ministry has not paid the FNPF contributions of the teachers since the beginning of the year.
Radrodro says the Ministry of Finance is working to ensure that all the outstanding FNPF contributions from January to February this year is processed before the end of the month.
He says it is unfair to single out the Education Ministry as this is happening across all government ministries because of the transition of systems
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