BY INDY MAEALASIA
The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) is seeking an additional $2 million in the supplementary budget to clear outstanding long-service benefit payments owed to around 60 retired teachers.
The ministry disclosed this during a recent Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing into the 2025 Supplementary Appropriation bill.
“There are still about 60 teachers from last year who haven’t been paid, even though we budgeted for them. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, we couldn’t meet those obligations. That’s why we’re requesting additional funding now,” Permanent Secretary Dr Franco Rodie said.
He said the ministry has made progress in addressing outstanding payments under the Long-Service Benefit Scheme,
“And we’re on top of things. But we need this funding support urgently. If we don’t pay them this year, it will lead to frustration,” stressed Rodie.
The issue is not new, with the ministry having struggled for years to accurately predict the number of teachers eligible for the benefit each year.
“This problem has persisted for years. Each year, we try to budget based on estimated retirements, but the numbers often change. Sometimes we overestimate, and the finance and the public service would question what we’ll do with the surplus,” he told the committee.
Rodie highlighted the importance of early and accurate information from education providers about retiring teachers or those who pass away while in service.
“To have exact data or estimates, we require early notification from education providers on who is retiring or who has passed away while in service. With good planning and accurate data, this can be managed,” he added.
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