Agiru wants free education policy reviewed

By ANDREW ALPHONSE in MENDI
IT would be a “pull the bull by the horn” task in reviewing the free education policy initiated by the former regime in the Southern Highlands province.
Governor Anderson Agiru said this in Mendi last Wednesday during an education sector consultative meeting with the provincial assembly members, head teachers of secondary and high schools in the province, the provincial administrator William Powi and provincial education adviser Robert Rami.
The meeting held at Agiru Centre was to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the free education policy.
Head teachers and public servants said the policy was a noble one that relieved parents of school fees burdens but was not planned, framed and executed well.
Kagua High School headmaster Augustine Onasu said the end results were poor overall academic performances each year in the last four years by Grades 8, 10 and 12 students, where SHP was rated 18th in the country.
He said schools operated on an ad hoc basis when supplies did not come on time while there were no funds to maintain facilities.
Mr Agiru instructed the provincial administration to revise the policy so that it would “make education affordable”.
He said the provincial government would commit K20 million each year for the education alone.
He said the review would see parents pay only 50% of the school fees from elementary to tertiary institutions while the provincial government would allocate K12 million annually to subsidise the remaining balance commencing next year.
The assembly will discuss the province’s health sector status in the next consultative meeting on Dec 10.