Anyone working for any length of time in an NGO in Tanzania can't fail to come up against the issue of sitting allowances- that is the payment of people for attending meetings. Such payments are made for a wide range of positions, from membership of school boards to attending training on HIV/AIDS. Whilst it has become common practice to pay such allowances, I believe that we need to question their use. In V2V we have a policy that sitting allowances should not be paid. The reason for this is that they are not a useful incentive, they simply reward people for passively sitting in meeting, they do not stimulate and encourage action. They destroy the concept of voluntarism- of giving skills and time for no monetary reward to achieve a higher aim.
The system of sitting allowances has been perpetuated and reinforced by the aid system and the behaviour of donors in trying to 'persuade' local stakeholders to adopt their agendas. V2V is not alone in questioning sitting allowances - see also http://www.cohred.org/goodgoverance/
We need to discuss the issue of sitting allowances openly- to be provocative- are they a form of corruption?
Anna Mdee.
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6 comments:
I THINK SITTING ALLOWANCES ARE A FORM OF CORRUPTION.MOST PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD DO ATTEND MEETINGS FOR THE INCENTIVE OF SITTING ALLOWANCES. THIS PUTS PERSONAL NEEDS FIRST THAN THE ISSUES TO BE DISCUSSED.
I WOULD SUGGEST SITTING ALLOWANCES TO BE SWEPT OFF SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GIVE THEIR SKILLS AND CAPACITY TO DEVELOP THEIR COMMUNITIES OUT OF THEIR WILL.
i am so much concern on this issue,seating allowance should be removed completely or made to be so little eg.3dollars per day,hence to help cover for transport etc.
in tanzania Seating allowance is more than salary/wages of most pple,i work for the gov,and most of time senior officers are filling in forms to attend workshops,seminars sometime concurrent dates.
This should be stoped immediately
Sure thing, sitting allowance should be banned. However, linking sitting allowance with NGO is a skewed assumption. This attitude is more in the government agencies and departments than in NGOs.
Having worked in the NGO all my life, i have attended so many meeting in the government,an envelop aka bahasha is provided to participants at the end of the meeting. Civil sevants wants to be paid to do something that they are paid to do.
i is increasingly becoming difficult to work in the villages because people wants to be paid posho to a ttend a training/meeting which is of their benefit.
it is amazing that a vilager would want to to be paid to attend a few hours training of improved methods of crop production!!! this is what the government has taught them.
Coming to civil sevants, they will have a three day meeting in the office to rerview a certain paper and get paid 50,000/= tsh per day. i this not misuse of taxpayer's money?
Lets do a simple calculations, 15 people times 50,000 times three days. this is 2,250,000/= This is enough money to drill aand install manned pump in a village. how many of these meetings are conducted in one government department in a years? lets assume, 10 times; That is 22,500,000/=. assume 50 government departments and aggencies does this. that will be 1,125,000,000/=. is this money not enough to provide the poor wananchi with water in 50 villages?
Sitting allowances has both advantages and disadvantages. School students are eligible because they can buy some items for studying. When it is given for those who passively participate,they misuse the money and they prefer more sitting allowances over a certain period.
Thanks
Ashwell prince
Analyst Salary
I think sitting allowance has its own merits an demerits as well. It is beneficiary for school students as they can buys some items for studying. When it is given to those who passively participate, they will misuse the money and spend their time by being seated for a longer time.
Thanks
Ashwell prince
Analyst Salary
Here, a service to fly medical people one day a month to remote centres is in danger of collapse because the medics want an allowance. Flying and food is provided free, and hours of work are no longer than usual. Africa is its own worst enemy.
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