Praneeta Prakash 
[File Photo]
Education Minister Aseri Radrodro says delays in the $200 back-to-school assistance payments are mainly due to incorrect information submitted by parents.
The Minister says the government has the funds ready, but payments cannot be processed when applications contain errors such as wrong phone numbers, unregistered SIM cards, missing FEMIS ID or BRN numbers, or multiple names linked to one phone number.
He says the system automatically flags these errors for fraud prevention, stopping payments until the information is corrected.
Radrodro adds that Ministry staff have made more than 3,000 calls to parents to verify details and urged families to ensure information is filled in correctly at the school level.
The Ministry of Education reveals that 9,800 data issues were identified, with 5,507 applications now verified and sent to the Ministry of Finance for payment.
Radrodro says several problems have already been resolved, including cases involving multiple names under one phone number, private school discrepancies, incorrect contact numbers and missed payments.
“We are committed to every child. But the process starts at the school gate with a pen and a form. Accurate lodging is the only way to ensure timely payment. We ask for cooperation and accuracy, rather than misplaced frustration.”
The Ministry also clarified that payments are handled only by the Ministry of Finance after its verification process is completed.
Radrodro says batch 2 payments, covering more than 1,000 applications, were on Wednesday, with work continuing on the remaining cases.
The Minister is urging parents to cooperate and provide accurate information to avoid further delays.
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