FG to pay 36-month salary arrears of unity school teachers

By Funmilayo Adeyemi

The Federal Government has said 36-month salary arrears and other allowances being owed about 1,800 teachers of unity colleges across the country will soon be paid.

The teachers were recruited by the Federal Ministry of Education in 2018, 2019, and 2020 as education officers and posted to schools across the country.

They were, however, not paid due to logistic challenges encountered at the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS)’ desk of the ministry.

Other reason given for the non-payment was the failure of the ministry to transmit the files of the affected teachers to the Budget Office for vetting and onward transfer to the Accountant General’s office for approval.

But speaking on the sidelines of a three-day EdTech Conference organised by Mastercard Foundation in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman pledged that the 36-months salary arrears will soon be paid to the teachers.

Mamman said the files of the affected teachers were already with the Ministry of Finance, while assuring that the teachers would be paid soon.

“The issue of the teachers’ salary is already with the Budget Office and the Ministry of Finance. So hopefully, they will be paid.

“I can’t tell exactly when their money will be paid. We don’t pay in the Ministry of Education. But we have done the paper work. It is already in Finance. Hopefully, very soon, they will get their money,” he said.

(NAN)