Teachersat a primary school in Lae have reported thatthe free education policy is putting enormous pressure onthe City’s schools.
Teacher-pupil ratio has risen significantly with one teacher having to teach up to 50 students’per class.
The Lana Kapi Primary isthe first Ltheran agency school inthe Morobe province to receive funding fromthe Provincial Government’s Church Assistance Program,the ten per cent of budgetary funding promised bythe Naru administration.
One hundred thousand kina was presented tothe schools administration bythe governor. It comes asthe school struggles to accommodate an influx of new students’spared bythe national government’s Free Education Policy.
Lana Kapi now has more than one thousand students’ The classrooms built inthe 1980’s were designed to hold half that number.
Student to teacher ratio which stood at 1 to 40 have risen to 1 teacher is to 50 students’
The free education policy has also been blamed for the increased prices of text books. Head Teacher Willie Vilakiva says suppliers appeared to have bumped uptheir prices in anticipation of government funding going to school.
Lana Kapi is one ofthe few schools inthe Morobe province that has raisedthe issue. Many more who have not spoken are facingthe same problems.
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