By Quinton Alomp – EM TV, Port Moresby
While students nationwide are on their first term break, concerns continue on whether the government will be able to payout the full batch of tuition fee free subsidy for the second term, on time.
Though Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, announced that his government will address this issue on time, speculations on whether the government’s TFF subsidy will be readily available on time for the second school term, still remain.
PNG Teachers Association General Secretary, Ugwalubu Mowana, is raising concerns that the future of 1.9 million students in PNG may be affected in the second school term if the government’s TFF funds are not paid in full.
Mowana said the education department has unreliable data; therefore money paid to each school may not equate to the number of teachers and students.
The TFF funding delay has also raised the Opposition’s eyebrow, but Education Minister, Nick Kuman, maintained that the government will solve the issue before the second school term commences.
A primary school and two vocational training colleges in Madang have already sent students home.
The teacher’s association said the Catholic Church runs about 60 per cent of schools, which is approximately 7, 200 schools, and their greatest fear is for these mission schools to shut down.
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