The Ministry of Education and Youth is advising that public sector teachers have started to receive their March salaries and retroactive amounts as of Monday, per an agreement signed earlier this month.

The education ministry, in a statement Tuesday, noted that payment was delayed by a number of days as it worked alongside the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service to ensure the accurate processing, converting and uploading of the retroactive amounts and new salary rates.

“This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding on March 13, 2023, between the Jamaica Teachers Association and the Government for a revised compensation package,” said the statement.

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Education Minister Fayval Williams said “We appreciate that the delay caused some amount of anxiety. However, given the magnitude of the task to be completed between the signing of the agreement and the scheduled payday, and to meet the exigencies of the end of the financial year, it was a significant undertaking requiring staff working through weekends and late into the nights”.

“We want to thank our principals, teachers and bursars for their patience during this time,” the Minister added.

Williams said the ministry was also working with the Accountant General’s Department and the commercial banks to ensure any glitches are cleared.