IN keeping with its promise to address anomalies in the teacher salary scale, Government has given the green light for salary adjustments to benefit teachers earning below the minimum of their respective pay scales.

This is according to a circular notice which was sent by the Ministry of Education (MoE) on Wednesday, in keeping with the promises made by President Irfaan Ali.

According to the notice, the decision, which will benefit countless educators, comes into effect from October 1, 2023.

Under the new directive, teachers currently receiving salaries beneath the minimum scale will see their incomes raised to match the minimum for the current year. Furthermore, eligible teachers will also receive a one-time arrears payment for the period stretching from September 1, 2020, to September 30, 2023.

According to the MoE, the implementation process begins with the Accountant General Department (AGD), which will compile a comprehensive list of eligible employees for salary adjustments.

This list will be transmitted to relevant agencies no later than October 4, 2023. Subsequently, agencies are tasked with verifying the eligibility of their staff and returning the confirmed list to the Ministry of Finance by October 9, 2023.

To fund these adjustments, the ministry said that the budget agencies will utilise their 2023 budget allocations, with detailed expenditure breakdowns to be submitted to the Ministry of Finance by the same date.

Last Saturday, President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced plans for extensive consultations with teachers aimed at not only addressing salary adjustments but also fostering a holistic improvement in the sector.

“We are also going to have consultations with our teachers. As soon as I return from the U.N., those consultations will commence,” President Ali announced.

The United Nations General Assembly runs from September 19 to 26 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

During the press conference, President Ali highlighted that these consultations would go beyond the realm of salaries, indicating a more comprehensive approach to enhancing education in the country.

“I don’t know what the teachers would raise with me, but, as you know, I have said before, like we did for the nurses, there will be an adjustment for teachers,” he said.

President Ali expressed his commitment to collaborating with teachers to identify and address various challenges within the education system.

“Whatever the teachers raise with me, we will be working together on finding and looking at the macro; having a macro view of what can be done not only to improve them individually and collectively, but what they can do and how, together, we can strengthen their education system.”

Previously, the Head of State reaffirmed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is progressively working to address the adjustment of salary scales for teachers, which he said will come at an appropriate time.

The President said that they “are looking at salaries in a holistic way, and in a phased manner.” He added that his government will never walk away from the commitment it has made to teachers.

Last December, President Ali announced that several categories of public servants would get salary increases, and he assured teachers that their increases were guaranteed.