By FRANK RAI
MORE than K400,000 will be spent to subsidise school fees for Tewae Siassi students attending provincial high schools in Tewae Siassi and Finschhafen districts in Morobe.
A total of K100,000 each has been allocated for fees at Siassi, Wasu and Sialum High Schools.
Another K100,000 had also been allocated for Tewae Siassi students attending Dregerhhafen Technical Secondary School, Finschhafen Technical School and Senior Flierl Lutheran Seminary in the Finschhafen district.
This allocation was made possible by the Tewae Siassi joint district planning and budget priority committee (JDP&BPC) meeting at the Morobe provincial administration conference room in Lae last week.
While handing down the budget, Tewae Siassi MP Vincent Michaels told the meeting that during his electoral visit last month, many parents raised concern that their children would miss out at the high school level.
He said the funds were made available in response to the concern raised during his electoral visit in the district.
“Many parents said that they would find it hard to pay their children’s school fees and this was due to the lack of economic activities in their areas.”
“I would like to subsidise the school fees for parents who cannot afford to pay,” Mr Michaels said.
He said since there were no economic development in the district, the funds were made available to ease the parents’ burden, adding that this would not happen all the time if the infrastructure were improved with promising economic activity in the district.
He said what was given was school fees subsidy and was not free education.
“We are only subsidising the fees during this crucial time and this does not mean that we will continue to subsidise school fees in the years to come,” Mr Michaels said.
It is understood that the K5.2 million district support grant for 2003 – 2006 for Tewae Siassi district would also be released in due course.