Melo Media | Thursday, 7th December 2023
The Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary for Administration, Ms. Noriana Muneku, faced a thorough questioning by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today. The committee addressed various concerns regarding deficiencies in payroll management and the overall administration of salary payments.
The noteworthy inquiries consisted of unconventional Payroll Introductions; atypical Payment of Allowances – Housing Allowance; Rural and Remote Hardship Allowances; Responsibility Allowance; and Double Class Allowance.
The Ministry was mentioned in the Auditor General’s Report on the Accounts of the Republic for the financial year ended 31st December 2022 for disbursing rural hardship allowances amounting to K9.4 million to officers who were not eligible.
An officer serving in a rural and remote area, as stated in Section 166 of the Terms and Conditions of Service for the Public Service, along with the Public Service Management Division Circular No. B2 of 2010, is eligible to receive a hardship allowance. The rate of this allowance is subject to determination by the Government periodically.
In violation of the Terms and Conditions of Service, a sum of K9,413,998 was disbursed as rural hardship allowance to 1,707 officers who did not meet the eligibility criteria for receiving the allowance due to their work stations not being designated for such payment.
