The Mpumalanga Department of Education (MPDoE) has set the record straight, following reports that it had failed to pay some teachers who were on contract at the Lamulelani Secondary School in the Bohlabela District.
Six educators at the school had claimed that they were not paid their salaries for more than a year. The department was accused of not being transparent with them when they raised the issue.
But the department said the delay in payment was caused by schools recruiting teachers without prior approval from the accounting officer.
“This resulted in a situation where documents to request for appointments of such teachers will reach the office of the HOD months after these teachers are (already) in school teaching.
“Schools have the responsibility to recommend for employment and to seek the approval of the HOD before teachers can assume duties,” it said.
According to the department, the affected teachers fell within the category of those who had started working in schools before their official appointment by the accounting officer.
Rather than allowing such practices to continue, the department issued a circular instructing schools to stop bringing on new teachers until they’d been properly appointed.
It was, however, mentioned that their matter was being looked into by the Departmental Human Resource Directorate.
The same issue happened in Limpopo in June where thousands of assistant teachers were not paid their salaries for almost three months.
IOL