The Education Department and the Teaching Services Commission, will be summoned by the Special Parliamentary Committee on Education, to clarify serious teacher concerns.
This is after Teachers nationwide asked the Special Parliamentary Committee on Education, to abolish the Teachers Service Commission, and place all teachers under the Public Service Commission.
This call was made today at the PNG Education Institute in Port Moresby by over a thousand teachers from the Southern region.
This meeting now concludes the committee’s investigation tour on teachers’ welfare this year.
Insufficient housing allowance levels have resulted in many teachers’ throughout the country, in residing in classrooms and squatter settlements.
They argued that this was among the many challenges they faced, that contributed to poor teacher performance, resulting in poor academic results.
Other concerns included salary increment, incentives to complement teachers’ performances, particularly with the extra work load with the introduction of the free education policy, travel arrangements for their spouses and children, and incentives for them as well.
These were the same issues raised by their colleagues in the Highlands, Islands and Momase regions. All these boiled down to the abolishment of the Teachers Service Commission.
The teachers called on the Special Parliamentary Committee on Education, to include them in the public service commission, so that they too enjoy the benefits that other public servants in the various departments enjoy.
Retired teachers also attended this meeting. They argued that the committee must review the process and procedures of teachers’ salaries, and other entitlements, including retirement money, as many are still waiting for their overdue claims.
Teachers from the church run schools also urged the committee to include them in the public service commission. The committee will furnish a report and present to parliament in the May sitting.
Prior to this, they will meet with the Department of Education, to present a resolution, summing up all the concerns raised by over 10 thousand teachers nationwide. They promised the teachers that their concerns will be addressed promptly.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=92Z3FDhDKBg%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
previous post