The Office of the Prime Minister wishes to inform the public, particularly members of the Vanuatu Teachers Union (VTU), that the Government of Vanuatu has commenced the implementation of the recent Council of Ministers (COM) decision to settle outstanding teachers’ allowances.

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) has processed the first batch of payments, amounting to VT 111,544,156, marking a significant step in the Government’s commitment to address long-standing issues affecting teachers and ensuring fairness across the education sector.

The breakdown of the current payments is as follows:

·         Primary Teaching Years 7 & 8 Allowances: VT 19,088,534

·         Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary Teaching Allowances: VT 66,754,035

·         Associate Diploma Allowances: VT 25,701,587

Further verification work is ongoing for Principals and Deputy Principals’ allowances, which require additional checks. These payments will be processed and included in the next payroll run by Friday.

Next week, the CBA Taskforce will verify the ambiguous claims in consultation with Provincial Education Officers to ensure accuracy, fairness, and transparency.

The Government reiterates its strong commitment to settling all legitimate claims under this payroll exercise. As the guardian of the people’s welfare, the Government remains steadfast in ensuring justice, accountability, and recognition for all public servants—especially teachers, who play a vital role in shaping the nation's future.

 The Vanuatu Teachers’ Union, through its Secretary, acknowledged the Government’s decisive action and commitment, stating:

“Vanuatu Teachers' Union wishes to acknowledge the current Government for the great effort put into resolving the long-standing teachers’ issue. The Government has paid the back pay of salaries for teachers who went on strike, and there are a few who are still waiting for their back pay — we hope the Government will recover that shortly. Furthermore, the Union acknowledges the Government for the first part payment of VT 111 million for the shortfall of calculation for primary teachers teaching Years 7 and 8, and for junior teachers teaching senior classes. The remaining VT 164 million, approved by the Council of Ministers, will be paid next payday. On behalf of all VTU members around the country, we thank the collective efforts of all parties involved and trust that and once the verification process is completed, we can proceed to the Collective Bargaining Agreement discussions.”

 The Government welcomes the Union’s cooperation and reaffirms its readiness to improve working relations with the VTU and all stakeholders to strengthen the education sector and ensure the welfare of teachers across the country.