Substitute teachers remain unpaid since 2021

MOSA MAOENG

MASERU – Frustration is simmering among a group of substitute teachers who have been left without pay for their services, some of them since as far back as 2021. These educators, who stepped in when regular teachers were unavailable, now find themselves in desperate limbo, awaiting salaries that seem further out of reach with each passing month. Their grievances are directed at the Ministry of Education and Training’s Teaching Service Department (TSD), which has yet to fulfil its promise to pay them soon after completing their work.

What has made this situation particularly infuriating for many substitute teachers is the perceived favouritism in the disbursement of salaries.  Some teachers claim that while those who worked in 2023 have already been compensated, those who served in 2021 are still waiting for their payments.

This discrepancy has sparked allegations of favouritism within the system, further deepening the mistrust among unpaid educators. One such teacher, whose identity is being withheld by Public Eye due to fear of reprisals, shared his personal ordeal.

He recounted his time working as a substitute teacher at a government school in Leribe. “I worked as a substitute for a teacher who was on maternity leave. My assignment lasted from February 19 to May 19, 2024. There are about 28 of us who are still waiting for our payments,” he explained. The teacher described how the system works, highlighting the unique nature of substitute teaching in Lesotho.

“As a substitute, you are essentially working without pay for the duration of your contract, which can be several months. You are promised that the payment will come as a lump sum at the end, calculated based on the regular teacher’s salary. For example, if the teacher you are replacing earns M8,000 a month, you would expect to receive M24,000 after three months.”

Despite the clear understanding of how the system should work, this teacher and his colleagues remain unpaid, even after fulfilling their duties.

“Our cry is simple,” he said. “Why haven’t we been paid, especially when others who came after us have already received their money? It feels like we are being deliberately overlooked.” The frustration among unpaid substitute teachers has only grown as they continue to face inconsistent and often contradictory explanations from the TSD.  “When we inquire about the status of our payments, we are given different answers each time,” the teacher said.

“One person will say our files are still being processed. Another will claim that our files are at the accounting office, and yet another will say they’re awaiting final approval. It is maddening.” He went on to explain that the constant run-around has left many teachers disillusioned.

“It is unfair. We are afraid to speak out too loudly or reveal our identities because we fear we may not be hired again in the future. We do not know who to turn to for help because, technically, we were never officially ‘hired’ — we were just filling in for a short time.”

This uncertainty has bred a climate of fear among the substitute teachers. “We hear that some of our colleagues have been paid, but there is no transparency. Someone who finished work in 2023 is getting paid before someone who finished in 2021. It just does not make sense,” the teacher added.

Some substitute teachers have taken their grievances directly to the Ministry of Education, appealing to both the Principal Secretary and the Minister of Education. But these efforts have largely been in vain, with little to no progress made in resolving the issue. “We have raised our voices on several occasions, and each time, a few of us get paid, just to keep the rest of us quiet,” he said.

“If there are 30 of us waiting for payment, they will pay maybe 13, and then nothing will happen for months.” The teacher produced a document called a Casualty Return (CR), which serves as proof of employment for substitute teachers.

“This document shows that we were hired, yet here we are, still waiting for our money. We are unemployed, so when the government gives us temporary work, we expect to be paid fairly. But instead, the TSD plays games with us, leaving us angry and frustrated.”

The plight of unpaid substitute teachers is not lost on the Lesotho Association of Teachers (LAT).  The union’s Secretary General, Letsatsi Ntsibolane, acknowledged that this issue is all too common in the education sector. “The Ministry’s priority is to pay substitute teachers first because they are not on the payroll,” he explained.

“Other types of payments, like first appointments, underpayments, and acting hours, are secondary because at least those individuals are getting something.” However, Ntsibolane expressed uncertainty about whether all substitute teachers affected by these delays have approached the union for assistance.

“It is possible that not every teacher facing this issue has come to us for help,” he said, leaving open the question of how widespread the problem might be. Lesoma Katisa, the Public Relations Officer for the Teaching Service Department, confirmed that a significant number of substitute teachers remain unpaid.

However, he was quick to point out some of the challenges the TSD faces in processing these payments. “Substitute teachers are not on the payroll, so they do not receive monthly salaries. When it is time to pay them, we need to gather bank account details, letters, and other necessary documents.”

Katisa explained that delays often occur when these documents are incomplete or outdated. “For example, a teacher might submit a bank confirmation, but by the time we process it, the account has become dormant. Or sometimes, the HR officer overseeing the file might not have attached all the necessary documents. When these files reach the Treasury Office, they get sent back as queries, which takes time to resolve.”

He also highlighted the strain on the department’s resources. “We are responsible for over 15,000 permanent and pensionable teachers, and that number increases when you include substitutes. Our HR officers are few, and we often have to rely on temporary staff, which only adds to the delays.”

The TSD’s reliance on a manual, document-driven process is at the heart of many of these delays. Katisa admitted that the system is far from perfect, but emphasised that the department is doing everything it can to address the issue.

“We know we owe many substitute teachers their payments, and it is not an ideal situation. We are working hard to process these payments as quickly as possible, but we are limited by the availability of funds.”

He also acknowledged that substitute teachers’ payments are not budgeted for in advance. “Schools do not always know when they will need a substitute teacher, whether it is for maternity leave or illness. So, when we need to pay substitutes, we have to request funds on an ad hoc basis, which further complicates things.”

While the TSD may be doing its best to manage the situation, the unpaid substitute teachers of Lesotho continue to wait, caught in a frustrating cycle of delays and uncertainty. Until the government finds a way to streamline its payment processes, these educators will remain in limbo, with no clear end in sight to their long-awaited compensation.