Zomba teachers take BT Synod, Save the Children to task over unpaid allowances

Primary school teachers working in Zomba Rural have petitioned Blantyre Synod Education Department and Save the Children Malawi for not paying them allowances following a Keeping Girls in School training they attended early December last year.

The two day ‘Keeping Girls in School’ training which was conducted by the Blantyre Synod Education department with funding from Save the Children which pays allowances directly to the participants left teachers in suspense after being told that the allowances would be paid through bank accounts in three days’ time.

Coordinating Primary Education Advisor for Zomba District Education Office confirmed that her office received complaints of delay of allowances from teachers.

The coordinating PEA, Ellen Lokoma said teachers complained that their allowances were not yet deposited into their bank accounts but said she had not yet seen the letter, teachers wrote because she was at a meeting the whole day.

A month has gone without any progress a situation which has now forced rural teachers to petition the two institutions.

According to a source that saw the letter but opted for anonymity, six Head teachers from Ntungulutsi zone signed it where they have threatened not to attend such trainings again in future if this issue is not resolved quickly.

Teachers in the area have also said they will not attend ‘pay forward’ trainings using bank accounts because they don’t see any justice.

They added that most NGOs operating in the area regard rural teachers as useless people who know and can do nothing.

In an interview with one of the head teachers who spoke on condition of anonymity, participants also struggled with facilitators to get refreshments.

“We also tried our best to be provided with a bottle of Fanta and a coil ban because organizers appeared as if they were not prepared to the extent of borrowing the soft drinks from one of the wholesale shops at Chinseu Trading Centre,” explained the concerned head teacher.

Another teacher within the same zone also said the organizers told them that only Ntungulutsi and Namadidi zones in the district had not received their allowances due to some logistical problem when in fact teachers from other zones had not received as well.

Blantyre Synod Education Coordinator, George Denja confirmed the delay of the allowances but said the issue is processed by Save the Children.

Denja also said he had not received a copy of the petition at the time he was speaking with this reporter.

He assured this reporter that participants had started receiving their allowances before Christmas holiday while others phoned that they got theirs on Monday, January 4.

‘’I can assure you that some teachers received their allowances before Christmas holiday started and others told me this morning that they have also received,” said Denja.

Denja further referred this reporter to Save the Children for logistical issue where he was told that the delay was due to wrong bank details which some teachers provided.

Save the Children also expressed ignorance about the alleged bad treatment teachers say they had received during the training and promised to establish what happened.

By Tuesday morning two teachers from Ntungulutsi zone confirmed to this reporter that they received messages through their cellphones that the money was deposited into their accounts.

The source claimed that the letter was signed by head teachers from Masika, Samalani, Milale, Ntungulutsi and Ntanangala.

Keeping Girls in School Campaign is a project being implemented by the Blantyre Synod in Zomba with funding from Save the Children in order to encourage girls to remain in school until they finish their studies.

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