A total of K19.5 million was released by the Department of Treasury as final entitlements and repatriation to 570 retired teachers in Papua New Guinea.
The employer of teachers, the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), confirmed and announced this long-awaited news to teachers who visited Vulupindi Haus in Waigani last Thursday to inquire about their payments.
TSC Commissioner Operation Maini Mike Ugaia on behalf of 70,000 teachers, including
retirees, expressed gratitude to the Department of Treasury for making this payment available, saying this was the third batch of retiree payments.
Mr Ugaia said the 570 retirees would receive their payments before the end of this year.
He told the retirees the payment process had been slow due to the involvement of multiple agencies and the need for due diligence.
Mr Ugaia clarified that the repatriation payment applies only to retired teachers, not resigned teachers.
“Retiring means you have served this country until you are 60 years old, and as a token of appreciation, we pay you your entitlements along with repatriation,” said Mr. Ugaia.
He explained that due to the lengthy time frame and challenges faced by retired teachers, TSC’s involvement since 2024 aims to resolve issues among teachers, provinces, and Treasury.
Mr Ugaia said that TSC’s industrial team was working on the next batch of retirees entitlements whose files would be sent to Treasury Department for funding.
TSC principal advisor industrial Esban Rita Karo urged salaries officers from all provinces to compile exit files for all outstanding exits and also recently approved exits and send them to TSC Headquarters so calculations can be checked and included for funding bid to the Treasury Department.
“The files contain the teachers records from the day when they were first admitted into the
Teaching Service, and we also check the salary history to ensure they have not taken furlough leave, because if they have taken furlough leave, service paid would be from the date they resume teaching after the furlough. That’s the reason why we are insisting that the files must come,” Mrs Karo said.
She said this applied to exit members who were already in service before 2003 when Alesco system was introduced.