Northern Province has been given the power to take care of its teachers' general welfare following the signing of a memorandum of understanding yesterday (March 19) in Popondetta.
The signing was between the Teaching Service Commission and the Oro Provincial Government.
TSC acting Commissioner, Samson Wangihomie, said the idea is to take the service to where its recipients are, hence the delegation of powers.
Teachers in Northern no longer need to waste resources to go to Waigani as the powers delegated to Oro include payroll, vacation, compassionate and sick leave, health of member and leave without pay for up to two years. The Oro Education Division has been delegated powers under the Teaching Service Act Part VIII.
When handing over the MOU to the Provincial Education Advisor, Maino Vegoli, Wangihomie said: “On behalf of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea and our Minister, Teaching Service Commission now delegates these 25 powers to you, and empower you to act, on behalf of the Teaching Service Commission, to best serve the members of the teaching service in your province.
“In the MOU are the delegated powers and the agreements that we have signed, and I have also three copies of the Teaching Service Act that are in there so that you can refer to the act when you make decisions for the teachers so they don’t take you and I to court.”
With laughter and excited beating of the kundu drum, students from the Martyrs Elementary School and their teachers surrounded the MOU as it was carried around the arena.
Teachers and students turned up in numbers to witness the momentous occasion. This follows the handover of the ALESCO payroll system to the Oro Education Division two weeks ago.
Meantime, Education Minister, Joseph Yopyyopy, authorised a holiday today for only the schools who had participated.
(Provincial Education Advisor, Maino Vegoli, lifting up the MOU and other documents handed to him by the Teaching Service Commission)