Funding for elementary schools not enough, says official

The Government has to release full tuition fee-free (TFF) funds to registered elementary schools to enable them to complete their infrastructures given the increase in the number of students each year, says a school board chairman in Morobe.
Wau Lutheran Day Elementary School chairman Guyoni Ulachoe said at the school’s 10th graduation last Thursday that elementary schools needed additional classrooms, equipment and a library to help the teachers teach.
“The school enrolments have increased over the years and we have a total number of 420 children who enrolled at the school this year to do prep and elementary one and two this year,” he said.
He said the Lutheran agency school was registered under the national education system as a feeder school to Wau Primary School in 2013.
Wau Primary School head teacher Mathew Humango who attended the graduation welcomed the 123 graduates of the elementary school and said their numbers would increase the student intake to more than 1300 next year.
“I appeal to all the parents to take full responsibility to ensure that their children receive the best education in their life. Don’t deprive the rights of your children to receive proper education as stipulated under the Vision 2050 for every child to receive basic education to contribute to the human-resource development of Papua New Guinea,” Humango said.
Wau-Bulolo Urban local level government manager Zure Tudi said the lack of funding to local level governments contributed to the lack of financial support for schools over the years.
“We have contributed in a small way towards assisting the school to allocate funds for the construction of the school fencing,” Tudi said.
“We have seven other schools in the two towns of Wau and Bulolo and we ensure that the little funding assistance that we provide to the schools is evenly distributed to enable them to continue to educate our children,” Tudi said.