RC: Refund teachers’ deductions for IDs process

ARUSHA Regional Commissioner (RC) Mrisho Gambo has directed Karatu District Administration office to immediately refund money deducted from primary and secondary school teachers’ salaries to process their identity cards (IDs).

Mr Gambo yesterday told Karatu District Commissioner (DC) Theresia Mahongo to ensure that his directive is implemented without further discussions. The RC issued the directive while meeting with some teachers in the district at the Karatu Boys Secondary School, that was convened for him to sort out some problems facing them in the area.

The teachers also informed the RC that some of their arrears have not been paid, besides some of them not being promoted after being in the same positions for quite a long time. In the rejoinder, Mr Gambo questioned the rationale behind deducting 6,000/- from each teacher for the identity cards, while as public servants, it is their right to get them free of charge.

He directed the DC to make a follow up on the matter and take measures against the officials who involved themselves in the heinous act without consulting their right supervisors. “I am telling you, anyone involved in this ... will face stern measures.

Why deduct some money from their salaries while they still demand to be paid back their pending arrears,” he posed. The RC further assured the teachers that their arrears will be paid and assigned them to follow to regional administrators to see into it that the demands and over-dues of the public servants are cleared.

The teachers also informed Mr Gambo that some of them are forced to walk long distances and at times meet wild animals on their ways from the institution because they lack staff houses.

“At times some of us are also forced to dodge classes to be safe because the distance to walk to and fro is long and face also threats from marauding wild animal,” said one of them whose name could not be immediately revealed.

However, Joakim Petro, another teacher from the institution narrated to the RC how he was wrongly suspended from his duties in the past and only to be reinstated without any compensation. “I demanded 3m/- as compensation and accumulated salaries ... but since 2015, I have not been paid,” he pointed out.