The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) revealed on Thursday 4 January that it has already paid overtime to 2,474 teachers from 134 schools located in the city and province of Maputo, Quelimane and Nampula, stressing that 71.1 million meticals have been disbursed for this purpose.
“In relation to the education sector, the amount of 236.2 million meticals was reported for the months of October and November 2022. Of this, 158.1 million meticais has been validated, corresponding to 5404 teachers, with 71.1 million having been paid so far to 2474 teachers from 137 schools, with 87 million still to be paid to the rest,” explained the MEF.
According to a statement shared with DE, the entity explained that the government has prioritised the payment of salaries and other supplements, with overtime being subject to the verification and validation process, adding that there have been some constraints during the prior inspection of overtime expenses.
“We have seen organic units submitting overtime without evidence that it has been done; calculation without the minimum mandatory working hours having been carried out; overtime being booked without the time book having been signed; and the blurring of hours,” he denounced.
However, despite these cases, the Ministry of Economy and Finance assured that it is working in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Human Development (MINEDH) to improve the control of overtime worked by teachers.
The statement was issued in reaction to the march carried out on Wednesday 3 January by teachers in protest at the lack of overtime pay, and also threatened to boycott the country’s school year.
“If the government doesn’t respond to our concerns, you can be sure that on the opening day [of the school year], instead of teachers turning up at schools, they will demonstrate in gardens, squares and streets, demanding their rights. We’ve reached saturation point,” declared the president of the National Teachers’ Association (ANAPRO), Isac Marrengula.
The new civil service pay scale was approved in 2022 with the aim of eliminating asymmetries and keeping the state’s wage bill under control in the medium term. However, several professional classes have complained about delays and cuts in the payment of salaries and overtime.
