Teachers spend 10 months without pay

Pader. Teachers at Kilak Corner Technical Institute in Pader District have threatened to strike over failure by government to pay their salaries.
A total of 13 teaching staff out of the 14 posted by government at the institute have gone without pay since May last year.
The deputy principal of the institute, Mr James Obbo, on Saturday said only one teacher has been receiving salary.
He noted that ever since the members of staff were posted, efforts to get their names on the government pay roll have not succeeded.
“Our continuous engagement with the district and central government to enable these teachers’ salaries be paid has failed. We have been tossed up and down with endless promises,” he said.
He said the teachers are surviving on handouts from close relatives and friends, adding that some of them have been kicked out of their houses due to unpaid rent.
Mr Obbo made the revelation while meeting a team of Acholi Parliamentary Group
(APG) members.
The MPs led by their secretary general, Mr Gilbert Olanya, were on a fact-finding mission on the performances of students and management at the technical institute.
Mr Geoffrey Ojobi, a welding and metal fabrication assistant instructor, said he has struggled to make ends meet ever since he was posted at the institute last year.
He said he is among the instructors trained by government to teach students specifically at the institute.
But the chief administrative officer, Mr Robert Okwi, said they have created payroll codes at the public service commission for the teachers. He added that by the next financial year, the teachers will start receiving their payments.
“I have persevered poverty for the last ten months hoping I will get on the government pay roll but in vain. I cannot continue with this life anymore, maybe we should lay down our tools so that government understand us better,” Mr Ojobi told Daily Monitor in an interview.
Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Mr Robert Okwi however said they have been able to create payroll codes at the public service commission adding that by June the teachers will start receiving their payments.
“The teachers should be patient, we have done our best and the names will be on the payroll. They should expect payments starting by next financial year,”
But the Aruu County MP Samuel Odonga Otto says there is gross mismanagement of money government sends to run the institute every term.
Daily Monitor understands that government has been sending between Shs 40 to 50 million termly for the operation of the institute.
“We want an audit to be carried out to find out how the institute administrators are using the money sent by government. How can the teachers spend ten months minus pay yet about 50 million is always available to run the institute,?” Mr Otto asked.
The Shs 5 billion institute has failed to attract students ever since it was commissioned in 2015.
The institute currently has a total of 34 students currently enrolled in vocational skills training instead of the projected 350 students.
It is among nine other technical institutes and 42 secondary schools that were built and renovated by government with support from the African Development Bank (AuDB) and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec).