Morobe Province has, so far, lost five of its teachers to COVID-19.
The teachers were from schools at Pindiu, Menyamya, Mutzing, Markham Valley and Omili.
Provincial program advisor of education, Keith Tangui, said their bodies are currently at the ANGAU Memorial Provincial Hospital morgue.
“To repatriate them, I’m waiting to see the (provincial) administrator so they can give us some funding to get the bodies out,” he stated.
“But thank God, we don’t have students getting COVID. Even though they sit together – all of them in one desk and all that – only two students contracted it but they’re ok.
“They’ve gone through contact tracing, isolation and they’re back.”
Tangui said they have noted an increase in cases from the nine districts of Morobe.
Because of that, the Provincial Education Board (PEB) has made changes to the remaining five weeks of the academic year.
Tangui said the provincial controller, Bart Ipambonj, has endorsed the new normal decision, which will see students familiarise themselves with the new approaches this week.
Next week, which is week 7 of term 4, students will work on their assignments, researches, projects and other activities at home.
They will return all completed activities in week 8 for marking and recording purposes, then take home activities to complete during week 9.
Students will return to school on week 10, and collect their assessment report cards the following week, which will conclude the 2021 academic year.
(Morobe’s provincial program advisor of education, Keith Tangui)