Secretary for Education

“Reports received from provinces are welcoming so far and the Department is looking forward to the other examinations that are coming up.”

Dr. Kombra said the first issue was reported by Nissan High School in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. The Department faced challenges to do with the delivery of exam papers to the school because of bad weather.

The second issue was to do with the late request to the Department by Ovan Technical High School in Eastern Highlands Province and Mendi Secondary School in Southern Highlands Province for Braille Exam for their students.

The direction was issued through Circular No. 05/2023 on Monday 30 January, directed to provincial education advisors, district education officers, school inspectors and school heads.

The circular warned school heads not to defy the government’s GTFS Policy Directives by collecting school and project fees.

Stating that school heads found to be collecting school and project fees will be charged and suspended from payroll.

The public announcement was headlined ‘No School Fees or Project Fees to be charged by Schools in the National Education System in 2023’

Secretary for Education, Dr Uke Kombra, issued this reminder to provincial education advisors, school inspectors, agencies, principals and stakeholders.

The Secretary warned against those that deal with vested interests and bypass the established processes and deal directly with selected officers in the General Education Services Division and other divisions to register schools.

The 2018 National Examination dates are as follows;

• Examination (Grade 10) Monday 8^th October – Friday 12^th October

(1 week only)

A total of 72,012 Grade 10 students in 328 high/secondary schools will sit for the Lower Secondary School Certificate Examination

• Examination (Grade 12) Monday 15^th October – Friday 19^th October

 (1 week only)

Dr Kombra said the National Executive Council has approved an extra day on June 6 for this campaign, thus schools are being urged to fully utilise both days and drive the key message to students.

The United Nations’ endorsed theme for World Environment Day 2018 is “Beating plastic pollution”, and all schools throughout the country are asked to come up with local themes in line with the international theme.

Secretary for Education, Dr. Uke Kombra, says this is due to space limitations in secondary schools, including the National Capital District.

About 115,000 Grade 8 students in 3,007 primary schools throughout the country will sit for their final Grade 8 Eight Examination on Monday 30^th October to Thursday 2^nd November 2017.

Dr Kombra issued this warning after experiencing problems of claimed examination papers being sold on streets last year to students.

He has also urged the Provincial Education authorities, Governing Councils, schools and the communities to ensure that the Exam Papers are safe-guarded using additional reliable securities.

“The school Principal will be held accountable for the security of examination papers.

“Therefore, he/she should take all precautionary measures.”

The notice has been given through the Secretary’s Circular Instruction No 8 of 2017.

While commending the teachers and students who resumed Term 3 on Monday, July 10, Secretary for Education, Dr Uke Kombra, said it is very important that all students attending schools within the National Education System meet the approved instructional hours to be eligible for graduation and to sit for the Grade 8, Grade 10 and Grade 12 examinations.

Therefore teachers must be at the schools and must perform their teaching and other curricular duties.

Secretary for Education Dr Uke Kombra said they’d like to see library services established right across the country in the 22 provinces and 89 districts as it is very essential in the education system.

Dr Kombra said the Department of Education is there to support the Office of Libraries and Archives (OLA) to also have libraries extended to every school in the country.

“A lot of the districts are implementing the library plan but we need to have an advocacy plan in place on the importance of libraries.