600-plus teachers from Balob await certificates

MORE than 600 teachers who recently graduated from the Balob Teachers College are still awaiting their certificates, says principal Jerry Hendigao.
Hendigao said the delay was caused by the vetting process conducted by the education department.
The documents are necessary for new teachers applying for positions in schools.
“They have to fill in a resumption form and attach with it the copy of their diploma and teacher registration certificates,” he said.
They are still with Education secretary Dr Uke Kombra for signing.
The graduated teachers gathered at the college yesterday.
“I want them to have their diploma and teacher registration certificates because that will enable them to get paid,” Hendigao said.
A 2019 teacher graduate Samson Nicholas who was posted to the Eroro Primary School in Oro said he taught for the whole of 2020 without receiving any pay.
Nicholas said they had been told to bring their diploma and teacher registration certificates if they wanted to continue teaching this year.
He said teachers in remote areas, where there was already a teacher shortage, were worried
He called on Dr Kombra to think about the graduates and fast-track their certificates.
Hendigao said the Education Department told him that the certificates were undergoing quality checks before the secretary could sign them.