By Colleen Barilae – EM TV News, Lae
Lae Secondary School Principal, Christopher Raymond, says the school has no funds to start the 2016 academic year.
This has followed a shortfall in the total payments of TFF funds allocated in 2015.
Last year, Lae Secondary School expected more than K700,000 in its 2nd installment payments, but received only K500,000.
The school fell short by a near K200,000 in its last quarterly payments last year.
The money was to be used by the school to cater for the beginning of every new academic year to help with purchasing school uniforms, stationary and other expenses.
This year, Lae Secondary School will be charging parents and guardians K400 for Grades 9 and 10, and K500 for Grades 11 and 12 students to make up for the shortfall.
Lae Secondary School received more than K1 million for its TFF funds last year.
This year, it will be among schools across the country that receives only a portion of the allocated K150 million.
As the start of the academic year nears, Lae Secondary School has not received its share.
Lae secondary school is part of the large group of schools that are still waiting for the TFF funding.
It has received verbal notice that the provincial education board will approve its submissions to charge project fees to students’ parents.
And though the government hasn’t stated when it will pay, schools are taking the next step to charge parents.
