By Colleen Barilae – EMTV News, Lae
Lae’s Markham Road Primary School Head Teacher, Sam Nalong, has questioned the processes involved in order to obtain a third of Tuition Fee Free (TFF) funds paid to schools in Morobe.
Nalong said this following this year’s changes in education policy, which will see 60 per cent of a school’s TFF funds go to other parties.
30 per cent of the funds are given to district education accounts to distribute for infrastructure development.
The head teacher raised his concerns following a cut in his school’s operational funds, or cash administration income.
The school situated in the city has an annual enrollment of 2,000 students and funds are limited to build more classrooms to resolve overcrowding.
Nalong says more consultation between schools and districts is needed to identify what is lacking at the school levels.
In March this year, the school received less than K50,000 in its first quarter of 2016 TFF payment.
The head teacher says what the school receives can only cater for bills and other minor school related expenses.
Nalong admits this year’s policy changes in distribution of education grants have affected the overall operations of the school, unlike previous years.
What this school and the other schools in the province want is for all funds to be paid directly to schools, ready for execution on school projects.
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