Teachers’ leave fares awaiting funding from Treasury

National

By PHOEBE GWANGILO
LEAVE fares for teachers in Morobe have been worked out and are awaiting funding from Treasury, provincial education adviser Keith Jiram says.
“The costing is with the provincial administration to take up to the Department of Treasury in Port Moresby to make sure that the money is released into the province either this month or early October. That’s our greatest concern,” Jiram said.
“By December, teachers should be able to pick up the leave fares and go home. We are looking at K7 million. That’s also the budget last year we were able to manage.
“Treasury and Finance make that money available through the provincial treasury office.”
He said education budget officers from Lae had been in Port Moresby in the past two weeks who would update him later.
“On the teachers’ leave fares, I think we have done well in 2015 and 2016,” he said.
Meanwhile, East Sepik education adviser Joseph Auli said they received less last year – K564,700 instead of the K1.2 million budgeted for leave fares.
“Then the province added K200,000 which brought the amount to 764,700,” he said.
“We normally get K1 million which is adequate.”