Dodoma — THE government rejected teachers' claims for arrears, totalling over 2bn/-, for lacking relevant supporting documents and evidence, the House heard on Monday.

The Deputy Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Mr Philipo Mulugo, said that 996 teachers' claims were not genuine hence were rejected.

He, however, said that the ministry, in the year ending June 30, 2012, approved immediate payment of arrears amounting over 3.bn/- claimed by 2,649 teachers. Other 1,653 teachers had by that time already been paid a total of 1.4bn/-.

Mr Mulugo was responding to Masoud Abdallah Salim (Mtambile-CUF)'s question which claimed that teachers' payment was taking an unnecessarily long time thus resulting in conflicts. He also wanted to know the number of teachers who had been paid and those who had not between 2009 and 2012 and the reasons for such delays.

Responding to a supplementary question, the deputy minister said it was not government's intention to delay paying the arrears, assuring the MP that all claims with supporting documents such as marriage certificates, tickets and birth certificates will be paid.