The Ministry of General Education says almost half of the primary schools across the country have met the requirements for each of their teachers to receive 40 US dollars as a monthly incentive.

The incentives will be paid through a project known as IMPACT, funded by the European Union to enable teachers remain in the profession.

In a statement today, the ministry says funds have been approved for 1,479 schools, where more than 16,000 teachers work regularly.

The project targets 30,000 teachers in more than 3,000 schools countrywide.

The statement says incentives can only be released to schools where there is sufficient assurance of operation and that teachers receiving the incentives are regular.

It says the first payment will begin this week while the project will continue for the next eighteen months.

Schools that have access to their local banks would have the money paid to their accounts, and would then pay their teachers in presence of witnesses.

The statement says the Head Teacher and School Governing Representatives will sign to confirm teachers have been teaching while teachers will sign to confirm receiving the money.

For schools that do not have a bank branch within reasonable distance, the project will arrange to deliver the money.

Under the project, teachers will be paid two months’ worth of incentives at a time.

The ministry and partners say the program will be supported by strong accountability mechanisms to ensure only teachers who are working and regularly attending schools will be paid.