Allowance for island school principals raised to MVR 7,000
"The president said the correct figure," an education ministry spokesman said.
By
Aminath Shifleen
School principals working outside their registered islands will no longer be given an island allowance of MVR 5,000; it has been incremented to 7,000, the education ministry said on Thursday evening.
The Ministry of Education on Thursday met with principals working outside their own islands and said that it had been decided to pay them MVR 5,000 per month as allowance under the ministry's 'Rural Retention Policy’.
However, speaking at an MDP rally on Thursday evening, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced that the allowance for principals working away from home would be increased to MVR 7,000.
With the confusion in these two figures, the ministry clarified it on Thursday evening.
The Ministry of Education said it was mistakenly announced that the allowance would be changed to MVR 5,000.
"The president said the correct figure," an education ministry spokesman said.
Speaking at the Thursday evening campaign rally, the President said:
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Some principals expressed concern that the cost of renting a house is high when they have to leave their island to work in another island
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So, with this allowance, that problem will be solved
The salaries of teachers and principals were increased in May last year. However, the new salary structure has reduced the income of principals working outside the island. So, this complaint has been made by the principals ever since.
Principals said they would not benefit from the increase as the accommodation allowance had been reduced under the new structure. The government had always promised to solve the problem.
