Morobe’s education sector needs more money than is made available in the national government budget.
The province budgets for K300,000 annually however, that is also insufficient.Morobe’s provincial program advisor for education, Keith Tangui, highlighted that the province needs over K300 million to effectively conduct activities in the education sector.
The province is massive, with 1,427 schools, over 2,600,000 students and 3,656 teachers.Tangui said in line with the 3-6-6 structure, schools need more infrastructure.
“We need money to erect infrastructure, put more desks in, buy more curriculum books,” Tangui outlined.
“We are setting up more junior high schools, we need to train more teachers to teach in the junior high schools.
“Many of the junior high schools that were earmarked to open this year, we couldn’t open them up because we don’t have enough teachers, we don’t have enough curriculum books and also, maybe the declaration of the junior high schools were at very remote settings and many teachers are not willing to go.”
The education advisor appealed to members of parliament to refrain from making declarations until proper infrastructure is put in place, alluding to the declared school of academy at Zifasing, in Huon Gulf district, on September 11th, 2020.
“Academy is prep, 1, 2, 3 all the way to Grade 12. All in one setting.
“As I speak, we cannot do it so it’s still junior high school.
“Next year we will start off with the first lot of grades 7, 8 and 9. So we appointed four to five teachers to go there next year.
“Other junior high schools, we wanted to put teachers there but we ran out of manpower.
“Yus High School, for example, not enough teachers there, not enough infrastructure.
“Even though our officers from Waigani, there were two ladies who went to declare the school as a junior high. But where’s the desk? Where are the students and curriculum books? Where are the staff houses? How will they get to Bungawat?
“The board of management must plan for it.”
Tangui stressed that all factors need to be considered, and funding allocated accordingly to upgrade Morobe’s education sector.