The Ministry of Education will process salary payments this afternoon for 114 teachers whose pay was delayed.

Education Minister Aseri Radrodro says the teachers can expect their salaries in their accounts by tomorrow.

The affected staff were caught up in a payroll verification exercise that identified 13 ghost employees and also found outstanding employment documentation.

Radrodro says a special pay run has now been approved by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance for the affected teachers.

“114 notices of payment have been assured to be processed this afternoon by the Ministry of Finance. But still, there is still a number of scrutiny and verification processes that will be ongoing.”

The Minister says some teachers had already submitted their signed employment contracts, allowing their salaries to be processed.

However, some teachers are still being contacted by the Ministry’s Human Resources Department to submit outstanding documents.

Radrodro is urging those teachers to cooperate and provide the required documents as soon as possible.

“We would like them to cooperate with us and submit their documentation. Hopefully by tomorrow, that is the timeline that has been set by the Ministry. The timely submission is necessary to facilitate the ongoing verification process and ensure that officers’ salary is processed for employees of the Ministry of Education.”

The Ministry says 30 heads of schools were among those affected after failing to submit their signed contracts on time.

The affected employees also include three assistant headteachers, 47 primary teachers, one assistant principal, 24 secondary school teachers, five technical teachers and nine non-teaching administrative officers.

Radrodro says the Ministry is reviewing its payroll administration, employee records and internal controls to strengthen accountability and protect public funds.

He says the identification of ghost employees shows why regular verification of the payroll system is necessary.

Radrodro has apologised to the affected teachers and staff for the disruption, saying the Ministry’s priority is to resolve the outstanding matters fairly and transparently.

The 114 affected teachers are expected to receive their salaries by tomorrow.