The Marape/Rosso Government has continued to subsidize school fees for students.
This year, the government has allocated almost K8million to assist parents alleviate the school fee needs for elementary to grade 12 students.
However, some funds allocated in the previous years were insufficient to help the school throughout the academic year.
A primary school head teacher in the Kairuku District of Central Province revealed that the government’s promised Tuition Fee Grants is insufficient to cater for the school needs.
Therefore, the school infrastructure has been deteriorating as revealed by the Pinu Primary School Head Teacher Rodney Saleu.
The school has a population of close to 300 students, including the elementary students.
The school was proposed two years ago for a Junior high school status however, infrastructure remains the biggest challenge as most facilities built in the 1980’s.
“Most of the challenges that we face is mainly to do with infrastructure. Most of the infrastructure that is here has been built in the 1980’s. By now most of them are not in better state,” Saleu said.
The head teacher added that the TFF funds are not enough to build and maintain infrastructure.
Mr Saleu said, “the school has been receiving TFF but the amount that are coming to the school is not adequate to sustain the school with infrastructure maintenance”.
“Last year we received K20, 000 and with the forty thirty components, the stationery got almost half of the money. Therefore, we cannot maintain the school’s infrastructures,” he added.
Mr Saleu further said that the change in the education policy is another factor that affects schools in the country.
“There are many schools that are facing difficulties with the one-six-six policy change. Now the grade 1 and 2 are coming to community school, I have grade 7 and 8 here and I have to move them to high school but there is no place to move them to,” the head teacher said.
The Head Teacher further said the school will not charge any project fees as per the Government and the Education Department’s circular but he is urging the responsible authorities to look into this matter.
