Culligan warns teachers to resume classes

WESTERN Highlands provincial administrator Malcolm Culligan is calling on teachers engaged in the counting of votes and still out in their villages to return immediately to their respective schools.
Culligan went on provincial radio station, Eagle FM on Tuesday night urging teachers to return to schools.
Culligan said after visiting several schools in Mt Hagen on Tuesday morning, he discovered that many teachers were absent.
He called on 12 teachers from Hagen United and four from Tarangau primary school still absent to return to their schools.
He said teachers engaged in vote counting at Kimininga police barracks were paid their allowances on Tuesday and must return to their respective schools immediately.
He said the Grade 10 and 12 national examinations were just around the corner and he did not want the teachers to penalize innocent children.
Culligan called on other schools in remote areas and other parts of the district to start classes.
He said the election period was not a holiday for the teachers to stay out of classes while counting was continuing.
He appealed to the parents to make it their duty to bring their children to schools.
He said education was very important and he did not want to see school children staying in their villages or at home. 
Culligan said teachers who failed to turn up for classes would face disciplinary action.
He said the Term II holiday was over and by now all teachers must be in their classes.
He appealed to teachers from the province staying in other provinces to return to their schools immediately.
Culligan said they had wasted enough time already and classes must continue as usual.