UNICEF to pay 2-month salary to all Afghan teachers

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Education on Monday said two months salaries of all school teachers would be paid in the next two weeks based on an agreement between the ministry and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The Ministry of Education in a statement received by Pajhwok Afghan News said that UNICEF would pay 94 percent of teachers' salaries across the country through banks and another six percent would be paid through trustees.

Based on the agreement between the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, each teacher will be paid $200 for two months as their salaries.

Meanwhile, Aziz Ahmad Ryan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education, told Pajhwok Afghan News that these salaries were the normal salaries of teachers, and not extra privileges.

"Each teacher is paid $100 a month. If a teacher's salary is less than $100, the extra amount is in the form of a donation, and if a teacher's salary is more than $100, the rest will be paid by the government,” he said.

The Ministry of Education said that the ministry in cooperation with UNICEF will develop a mechanism for payment of teachers’ salaries in the future.

UNICEF previously also took responsibility of paying salaries of Afghan teachers for several months.

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