Teachers warned not to miss classes

TEACHERS in the Kabwum district of Morobe are being warned not to skip classes from next year or they will be removed from the payroll.
Kabwum Education manager Ezekiel Nigo said it took two to three years to put them back on the payroll once they are removed.
This year a number of teachers skipped school and spent their time in Lae, and some of them were taken off the payroll as a result.
“Either you are in the classroom or not, the government is paying you and you must always be present in class with the students every school day,” Nigo said.
He said some teachers were absent up to a month.
“The PNG government has spent much on teachers and for them to do this is cheating the government and depriving the rights of the children to decent education,” Nigo said.
He said the removal of teachers from the payroll caused some of them to threaten him.
“I cannot just sit and watch things get out of hand while our children suffer. I must exercise some authority in order to get things right,” Nigo said.
He said inspectors would be much stricter from next year and reports from them were expected regularly.
Nigo also expressed concern regarding male teachers having relationships with local schoolgirls. There was a growing trend, he said.
“This is a big issue here in the district and has to stop. Some female students are pregnant because male teachers are having affairs with them,” he said.
From the new year he and school inspectors in the district will monitor situations and write reports. Teachers guilty of such behaviour could be sacked, Nigo said.