The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology signed contracts for mobile phone salary payments of 119,000 teachers with two telecommunication companies in Kabul on Tuesday.

The contract for monthly salaries of 43,000 teachers from Kabul was signed with Afghan Wireless and another contract for 76,000 teachers from Herat, Balkh, Paktia, Badakhshan, Laghman and Khost provinces was signed with Roshan. 

A pilot phase of the mobile salary payment scheme started six months ago in Parwan, Nangarhar and Kandahar provinces, covering 32,000 employees of the Ministry of Education including teachers.

The process has proven successful and is now being expanded, said the acting education minister Mirwais Balkhi.

After registering for the mobile phone money system, teachers will be able to draw their salaries from the telecommunication companies branches, stores where the companies have agents, banks where the companies have contracts, and in some areas teachers will be able to get their salaries from vendors who sell mobile phone top up cards.

One reason for establishing this system is to prevent corruption and misuse of salary payments.

The Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Shahzadgul Aryubi, meanwhile said the ministry will soon tender for companies for the same system for a further 120,000 employees of the Ministry of Education. 

“Right now, 4,130 employees of the Ministry of Education are receiving their salaries through the mobile payment system. This month there is an additional 7,800 employees and another 6,800 employees within the next two months will receive their salaries through this mobile payment system,” the minister said.