07 Feb 2016

Payment of terminal benefits for all employees in the public service, including teachers, is 66 working days upon expiry of their contracts, says Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development, Mr Moiseraele Goya.

Answering a question in Parliament, Mr Goya said he was aware that some of the teachers whose contracts ended as far back as August 2014 have not been paid their terminal benefits.

He said out of the 1 322 teachers whose contracts ended from August 2014, the ministry has managed to pay 86 per cent of them being 1 134. “The remaining 188 are anticipated to be paid by the end of February 2016,” said Mr Goya.

The assistant minister said it was regrettable that his ministry had not been able to meet the set public service standard, especially in recent years. 

He said this was due to the fact that for the same period the ministry also had to pay severance benefits for 3 014 temporary teachers who were engaged on a tour of two to three years since 2012. He added that this was done following the decision to upgrade qualifications of the same number of teachers to meet international standards.

He noted that the payment of severance benefits for the temporary teachers increased the daily workload of responsible employees, which included terminations for contract officers, retirements, resignations, dismissal and deaths.

The MP for Francistown West, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi, had asked the assistant minister how long it takes to pay teachers terminal benefits at the end of their contract, and if he was aware that teachers whose contracts ended as far back as August 2014 have not been paid their terminal benefits. Ends