Morobe’s provincial education division is working on addressing the shortage of teachers in the province.
Provincial program advisor for education, Keith Tangui, said with a ceiling of 3,000, the province will start off by recruiting 500 teachers next year.
The education division aims to recruit graduates from other universities. However, Tangui said they will need to undergo further studies at the University of Goroka.
“We cannot get them direct from university and put them in the classroom, em mi tok nogat,” he stated.
“Even though TSC (Teaching Service Commission) says put them in the classroom I told TSC, no. I’ve been in the classroom for 41 years, I know how the system plays.
“We need to be vigilant, we need to know our students’ learning. You must have teachers who’ve come from teachers’ colleges and who are trained to teach the students. Noken putim nating, nating. Noken bagarapim ol sumatin.”
Tangui said Morobe’s 10 junior high schools are in great need of teachers, adding primary school teachers cannot simply be pushed up to teach high school grades.
“Standards fall because the wrong person is in the classroom. With the right person in the classroom, standards improve. Exam results will improve; everything will be good.”
The division plans to start a recruitment drive at the end of this year targeting university students and primary school teachers. Successful applicants will be required to spend one year at UOG.
“Get our primary teachers who’ve already completed a degree at Divine Word or UOG or wherever, these are the people who will be handpicked and sent over to UOG where they can do their conversion course.
“As soon as they complete the conversion course, we put them in the classroom to teach grades nine and 10.”
Tangui said it will cost the province an estimated K50,000 to send a team to all universities to start recruiting teachers, while K20 million is anticipated to cover the cost of the new batch of teachers.