PNGTA DEMANDS URGENT ACTION ON 2026–2028 TEACHERS’ MOA, CALLS FOR NO FURTHER DELAYS
The Papua New Guinea Teachers’ Association (PNGTA) is calling on the Department of Personnel Management (DPM) to urgently progress and endorse the 2026–2028 Teachers’ Log of Claims to allow formal negotiations to commence without further delay.
PNGTA National President Aita Sanangkepe made the call in a media statement released on 5 November 2026.
“Teachers cannot continue to be left in uncertainty over matters that directly affect their salaries, allowances, welfare and conditions of service,” Mr Sanangkepe said.
He said several months had passed since the Log of Claims was forwarded to DPM, but there had been no formal response or clear indication of its progress or the next steps towards commencing formal negotiations.
PNGTA is deeply concerned about the prolonged silence and lack of progress, particularly as the 2026 academic year approaches its conclusion, with approximately one month remaining.
PNGTA submitted the 2026–2028 Teachers’ Log of Claims to the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) on 29 April 2026, under the agreed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) framework between the TSC and PNGTA.
Following the submission, PNGTA held four meetings with the TSC, during which the Association presented, discussed and negotiated the claims on behalf of teachers. The Log of Claims was subsequently forwarded to DPM for consideration and endorsement.
PNGTA also recalled that a similar MOA was submitted by the Association to the former TSC Chairman in 2005 but was rejected for unknown reasons.
“PNGTA does not want a repetition of that,” Mr Sanangkepe said.
He said teachers across Papua New Guinea continue to perform their duties under increasingly difficult circumstances, including rising living costs, heavy workloads, overcrowded classrooms, inadequate teaching and learning resources, insufficient staff housing and challenging working environments, particularly in rural and remote communities.
Despite these difficulties, he said teachers remain committed to educating the nation’s children and preparing
