Minister of Education Dr. Aishath Ali has revealed that teachers’ pay structure has been modified and forwarded to the Pay Commission.
Minister Aishath Ali, speaking at the Parliament on Wednesday, said teachers work an average of 9-12 hours, and their remuneration is not sufficient for their services.
“Teachers do not get any time to spend with their families. They face countless pressures ever single day. Their responsibility is not just limited to teaching, they are also required undertake a lot of administrative responsibilities”, said the minister.
Noting that the number of students aspiring to undertake a teaching career is dwindling year after year, Minister Aishath Ali emphasised the need for a more lucrative pay package in the teaching profession to counter the recruitment and retention hurdles.
The minister noted the government’s efforts to increase youth interest, acknowledging that, despite the hard work done by teachers, the public has recently failed to see the teaching field as a desirable or respected field. Even close to what they deserve for their work, the minister said, teachers are not compensated. The government is working to reduce the number of hours that teachers need to put in, and to create a better working environment, the minister assured.
It is one of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s presidential pledges to make significant improvements in teachers’ salary structure. Minister said the commitment will be fulfilled, and next year the new pay system will come into effect.
The government proposed an expenditure of MVR 8.6 billion from a total budget of 37.5 billion to the education sector for the year 2020.
The minister said the budget was still insufficient to fulfil all sector targets and called on the parliament to increase the budget allocated to the education sector if needed.
