Official urged standard officers to be in district

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DISTRICT education managers and standard officers in Morobe are required to be in the districts to manage and oversee the progress of schools and teachers’ performance, provincial education adviser Keith Jiram says.
Jiram said it was difficult for the provincial headquarter to communicate with district education managers and standard officers, to know the progress of schools and monitor the impacts of tuition fee-free (TFF) in the 33 local level government areas.
“The district education managers and standard officers are not supposed to reside in Lae,” Jiram said.
“They are required to be on the ground coordinating and monitoring teachers’ performances and teaching needs, students’ learning and the overall needs concerning school facilities.”
He said this when reacting to a report on the Aronai Primary School in Umboi Island, Tewai-Siassi district which The National visited last week.
The school is in a desperate need of teachers and accommodation, teaching facilities and student resources, a proper head teacher’s office and a library.
“Everything falls back to the district administration,” Jiram said.
He said the two standard officers working under district education manager should each be based in Lablab and Sialum respectively to monitor island and mainland schools and report back to the headquarters.
Jiram said critically needed were accommodation, communication and logistic support, which the district administration has to assist with.
“Because there is no such assistance, education officers move to Lae,” he said.
“It’s very complicated for us to monitor impacts of TFF, teachers and students learning.”
Acting appointment officer Rex Lapu said that Aronai Primary School was inconsistent in its operations and was facing teacher shortages because there were no basic services to motivate or attract teachers.
Umboi Island has 19 primary schools, 35 elementary schools and one high school.