By: Summner Komngbap
The Ministry of Finance
on Friday 12th July 2019 signed the Memorandum of Understanding with
universities and teacher training colleges in the country for a computerized
payment system for academic, administrative and other staff at an impressive
ceremony held at the Ministry’s conference room, George Street in Freetown.
According to the
Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa, the new payment system would ensure
prompt payment of salaries and other allowances for staff of universities and
teacher training colleges nationwide as their salaries, transport, medical and
leave allowances would be paid directly into their accounts articulating that
government wants to effectively manage the payroll, the reason the Ministry of
Education was separated into two but lamented that a new Ministry is very difficult
to start.
Jacob Jusu Saffa
continued that universities and teacher training colleges would have to pay
other expenses to lecturers and staff asserting that this means no more
business as usual adding that signing of the MoU is part of the public expenditure
review to sanitize government’s payment control expenditure, that the entire
payroll system is being audited and affirmed that the initiative is a signal
that more stringent measures would be taken to sanitize the system underscoring
that institutions of higher learning are key to government’s human capital
development.
The Minister of Finance
also revealed that all tertiary institutions are indebted to the National
Revenue Authority, that government payroll is over-blotted in all the colleges,
especially Njala University, disclosing that the computerized system would soon
be rolled out to health workers revealing that the BADEA project and other
donors have allocated $68 million to rehabilitate four government schools
including the Bo School, Kenema Government Secondary School and the Prince of
Wales, two tertiary institutions-Bunumbu Teachers College and the Milton Margai
College of Education and Technology in Freetown assuring that government would
do more to promote higher education and that the next agenda is to look at the
conditions of service of lecturers and other staff.
Dr. Turad Senesie,
Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education enlightened that the
computerized payment system would integrate lecturers and other staff into the national
payroll system marking the end of an era when lecturers went without pay for
three months and allowances for a year and affirmed that the new scheme would
help them to be committed to duty as they would promptly receive their salaries
and other allowances.
He further assured that
government would deliver on its mandate to provide quality education
underscoring that the new payment system would add value to the lives of the
beneficiaries disclosing that the beneficiaries would receive alert on their
phones that their salaries have been paid into their accounts, reiterated that
lecturers would now have time to concentrate on their work and even undertake
research work and intimated that government has finally resolved the late
payment of salaries and allowances for lecturers.
According to Dr. Turad
Senesie, the new payment system is now the global trend.
Head of the Tertiary
Education Commission, Professor Aliyagin Algalie revealed that the event is
epoch-making and a novelty, that the timely payment of salaries and allowances
would end strike actions but reminded heads of universities and teacher
training colleges that there is a moratorium on new recruitment and promotions
and urged heads to promptly inform the Commission about replacements.
He also observed the
differences in the identity cards and bio- data of some staff members for which
an integrated ICT system costing $200 million would be created, disclosed plans
for a uniform condition of service for lecturers and other workers aligned to
the budget circle and called for tertiary institutions and teacher training
colleges to be proactive in responding to the Commission.
The Minister of
Technical and Higher Education, Professor Aiah Gbakima said while serving as
Vice Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone from 2005-2019, he
experienced the challenges of none-payment of salaries to lecturers and other
staff that resulted to strike action and observed that the University of Sierra
Leone is not part of the scheme due to late submission of data for which it
would not receive its subvention until the information is submitted to the
Ministry of Finance.
He also informed that
government would pay the salaries of lecturers and other staff of universities
and teacher training colleges, Pay as You Earn Tax (PAYE) and cautioned heads
of universities and teacher training colleges to notify the Ministry if the
need arises as there is a moratorium on new recruitment for which exceptions
would be made.
Professor Aiah Gbakima
also reminded lecturers to be effective in their work and that punitive action
would be taken against defaulters such as withholding of salaries.
The vote of thanks was
rendered by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Technical and Higher
Education, Mr. Gilbert Cooper.
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