Teachers across Papua New Guinea are set to receive a long-anticipated three percent pay raise starting July 10, according to the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) Chairman, Samson Wangihomie. This pay increase is part of a broader package of allowances outlined in the new Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for 2023-2025, signed in December between the PNG Teachers Association (PNGTA) and the TSC. This agreement updates and replaces the previous 2017-2019 MoA. Wangihomie explained the delay in implementing the pay rise, noting that the 2024 National Budget had already been passed by the time the new agreement was signed, leaving no allocation for this purpose in the budget. Finance Secretary Samuel Penias confirmed in a statement last Thursday that the payment will be made on July 10. "The department is pleased to announce significant progress in the implementation of the 3% salary increase for teachers, backdated to 2023," Penias stated. He also mentioned that the payroll system had undergone four rounds of testing to ensure all teachers were accurately included.
The salary adjustments align with the 2023-2025 MoA, which has been meticulously tested to ensure compliance and accuracy. The testing phase began in the ninth pay period of the year and involved multiple tests using the Alesco non-production environment to verify the correct configuration of new salary rates and allowances. Penias highlighted several challenges identified during the process, which are being addressed:
Wangihomie also announced that the 15 percent Teaching Service Allowance (TSA) will be paid to all teachers, an increase from the previous agreement. This includes allowances for mining enclave schools, disadvantaged schools, flexible open distance education (FODE) teachers, and head teachers. Furthermore, the TSC has reclassified all base level pay scales, effectively upgrading primary school teachers from TSO2 to TSO3, high school and secondary school teachers to TSO4, and teachers at National Schools of Excellence (NSoE) to TSO5. Teachers at inclusive education schools and technical vocational education training (TVET) centers will now be paid at the TSO4 level. Wangihomie urged teachers to remain committed to their duties, emphasizing the importance of their role in educating the nation's children. Also read Comments are closed.
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