By Patricia Keamo – EMTV News Cadet Journalist
Parents of students turned away have rallied together to postpone classes for Grade Nines classes, until this issue has been sorted.
About 150 Grade Nine students selected to attend St Charles Lwanga Secondary School face an uncertain future.
The secondary school in Port Moresby was forced to turn away 152 of its grade nine students due to lack of space to accommodate them.
From reports received, the NCD Education Division selected a higher number of students to attend this school, than actual spaces available.
In total, 372 students were selected by the Education Division, with the school only able to cater for 220 – a situation which has left the immediate education future of 152 students unclear.
This morning, frustrated parents flocked to the school for a meeting with the School Board and Administration.
A parent representative spoke to EMTV News after the meeting. Anna Joskin, said this issue with the selection and space for students is not the schools fault but the Education Department’s fault.
“The Education department did not consult with the School’s Board of Governors before selecting extra students to the school,”
The parents of these students are now drafting a letter to petition the school to halt commencement of classes for Grade Nine, until issues of extra students have been addressed.
The parents have also indicated that they will be meeting with the NCD Education Division regarding this matter.
