A tussle for the headmaster’s position of the Kindeng Primary School in Jiwaka Province has resulted in a church elder slashed with a bush knife.
The school which is one of the oldest and biggest in the new province began the school year with a dispute over the head teacher’s position following the appointment of a lower grade teacher to a Level Seven position by the Provincial Education Board.
The incumbent headmaster John Teine, a Level seven headmaster declined to vacate the office to a Level Four teacher, Simon Dei.
The school board and locals rallied behind Teine, saying if he was to be replaced, somebody with a Level Seven position should replace him to maintain the school’s grading and not Dei who came from a level four school.
The tussle went on the whole of term one till early this week, Dei engaged Minj police in an attempt to arrest local councillor Anis Bakarap, Teine and board chairman Steven Kiap.
This resulted in a clash between the two groups when the church elder identified as Bilik Balakau attacked Cr Bakarap with a pole. The councillor’s men retaliated and slashed Balakau on the head with a bush knife.
Cr Bakarap and local leader Samson Kale said they did not oppose Dei’s appointment but wanted a level seven principal for their school and not somebody lower.
“If he was a level seven headmaster, we would not oppose him. It’s not a personnel thing. We want our kids and this school to have a qualified headmaster because this is a level seven school,” Kale said.
The called on the Provincial Education Board to rescind the appointment of Dei and appoint somebody with a Level Seven status or let Teine remain.