Concern over salary

IT will be chaos and a slap on the face for some teachers if their salaries are not fixed before they resumed duties by end of this month.
While some lived in Port Moresby, many had travelled in from outside by any of the different means of transport or walking for hours in the jungle.
David Kunga, 48, from Chimbu and a father of six, is one of them.
He walked for two days from Marawaka, remote Eastern Highlands to Minyama, Morobe, and then travelled by PMV for 12 hours to Lae.
He could not afford K360 to purchase air ticket to Goroka from the station.
Kunga, who had taught for over 20 years, was teaching two grade four classes last year at Marawaka Primary and then was relieved when a teacher joined.
His name was suspended from the system after he was not-given a teaching position in 2015 and has been teaching without pay since then.
He travelled to the school with only K26 which lasted him till the day he left school on Sept 13.
Kunga was lucky as garden produce were selling as low as K0.10 in large quantities.
While teaching there, he was hoping to get back on the payroll again knowing that his resumption of duty summery sheet had been filled in and sent to teaching service commission.
In the middle of the year he was notified to see an officer in Port Moresby to be readmitted.
This led him to Port Moresby in September with a released letter from the provincial education authority.
Before living the school to Morobe, his wife, who is teaching in Asaroka Primary, sent him K200 through an MAF pilot.
After receiving the money he was accompanied by a Grade 8 student to Menyama station which is also a remote station in Morobe.
“We walked for two days in the jungle and slept under the trees when dark fell,” he said.
When they arrived at Menyama, he took a K90 PMV to Lae and then to his family in Goroka where they assisted him with airfares to Port Moresby.
On Sept 18, he arrived in the city and was told by the referred officer at the Fincorp Haus that he was deemed to have resigned.
He has appealed against this claiming he was overlooked despite his attempt to secure a position in 2015.
His living expense in the city has accumulated and he is hoping that TSC will uplift his suspension.
Kunga will resume duties at the same school this year.