Rédaction Africa Links 24 with The Africa Links 24
Published on 2024-03-27 09:12:44
The Minister of Education and Skills Development (MESD), Dr Douglas Letsholathebe, has announced that he will be launching an investigation into the delay of March salaries for University of Botswana (UB) employees, as well as mapping out a plan for the future to prevent such delays from happening again.
Last week, UB caused concern among its employees when it notified them that their March salaries would be delayed due to financial constraints. Despite the initial announcement of the delay, the institution was able to credit the salaries just one day later. However, Minister Letsholathebe has expressed his suspicions that there may have been negligence in the process leading up to the delay, and he plans to investigate further.
The focus of the investigation will be on the Department of Tertiary Education Financing (DTEF), the Ministry of Finance, and UB itself. Minister Letsholathebe highlighted that UB relies on tuition fees to pay its salaries, and it appears that the delay in crediting tuition fees may have been a contributing factor to the delay in salary payments.
In order for tuition fees to be processed and paid to UB, the institution is required to compile a list of sponsored students, which is then sent to DTEF and finally to the Ministry of Finance for the funds to be credited to the university. The investigation will aim to uncover any discrepancies or errors in this process and provide guidance for the future to prevent similar delays from occurring.
Despite Parliament approving UB’s supplementary budget just the previous week, Minister Letsholathebe indicated that this should not have been a factor in the delay of March salaries. He emphasized that even if the supplementary budget was credited to UB late, the tuition fees should have been sufficient to cover the salaries of employees.
The Secretary General of the University of Botswana Academic Support Staff Union (UBASSU), Dr Batlang Seabo, confirmed that staff salaries were indeed paid on time, with employees beginning to receive their salaries on the Friday following the initial announcement of the delay. Dr Seabo indicated that the delay was caused by the government’s tardiness in crediting the tuition fees that are used to pay staff salaries.
In conclusion, Minister Letsholathebe’s investigation will shed light on the events leading up to the delay in March salaries for UB employees and provide valuable insights for future financial processes to ensure timely and efficient payment of salaries. The prompt action taken by the Minister reflects a commitment to accountability and transparency in financial matters within the education sector.
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