Education Department

Consequently, the Secretary has issued administrative instructions to all schools under the National Education System on the resumption of classes, revised term dates and national examination dates.

This means, all programmed and timetabled teaching and learning activities per day and per week must be covered every week from Monday to Friday.  

Funding constrains has left schools in an awkward situation as to how they will be able to improve some of their facilities and infrastructure suitable for the current pandemic and State of Emergency.

Minister for Education Joseph Yopyyopy, recently announced that the government had released K50 million to all schools.

“The government had released K50 million for schools to install hand basin and other hygiene equipment for students. More funding will be released soon”, said Minister Yopyyopy.

The Education Department has launched and implemented the policy on early childhood education system that replaces the elementary school system.

The facilities of the elementary schools in various communities in the country will be converted into early childhood education.

“Because of the changes that are happening in the 6-6-6 school structure, there will no longer be elementary schools,” explained Minister Yopyyopy.

The Grade 10 National Examination will run from Monday October 7 to Friday Oct 11, covering nine subjects.

Grades 12 will sit their higher school certificate examinations from Monday Oct 14 to October 18, while the Grade 8 students will sit their exams over four days from Monday 21 October to Thursday 24 October.

Over 300 teachers have threatened to boycott the 2019 academic year over their 2018 leave entitlements.

The frustrated teachers say they have faced leave fare entitlement issues every year, and are now making a stand.

A spokesman from the group told this newsroom up to 2,500 students in the province may be affected from over 900 schools.

The spokesman said only 100 teachers have received their leave entitlements while over 300 are yet to get theirs.

Secretary Dr Uke Kombra said the theme was chosen to give prominence to the newly introduced Citizenship and Christian Values Education (CCVE) curriculum, which has been made a compulsory subject from 2019 onwards.

Violence, be it physical, emotional or verbal, must be addressed in society and educating the young now can make a difference.

During that time, the Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology activated the national selections for 2019 new intakes.

Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Pila Niningi, says higher education institutions, like all service organisations in the world of the digital information era, must seek every means to enhance the quality of service delivery and drive efficiency and cost-savings.  

The awards were given out by Education Secretary, Dr Uke Kombra, to the principals of the respective schools in Port Moresby.

The secretary’s awards are given out to recognize the students and schools that perform highly during an academic year.

“A few years ago we have decided that we must recognize the students and schools that are performing and are working very hard,” stated Dr Kombra.

“This is the third year running that we are going to recognize the schools that have been working very hard to achieve better results for the students.

The Teaching Service Commission and Education Department denied these allegations saying the decrease in their pay packets is not pay cut, rather it is their normal net pay following the cessation of the outstanding 3 percent pay increment dating back to 2017.

Chairman of Teaching Service Commission Baran Sori said the Government approved the 3 percent pay increment for teachers dating back to 2017.

He said teachers across the country were paid their outstanding dues which accumulated from 1st January 2017.

The Secretary for Education Dr Uke Kombra is advising all the provincial administrators, advisors and education boards, church education secretaries, principals, head teachers and parents to take heed of the dates and strictly administer the exams on the time and dates approved by Education Department.

The Grade 10 Lower Secondary School Certificate Examination will be conducted from Monday 8th October to Friday 12th October and will see a total of 72,012 Grade 10 students in 328 High and Secondary Schools.