Advisers play key role: Kombra

By AILEEN KWARAGU
PROVINCIAL education advisers (PEAs) are the key to implementing policies and decisions in the provinces, Education secretary Dr Uke Kombra says.
He said there needed to be quality leadership for the department to improve education standards at the provincial level.
“PEAs are the key to ensuring all the policies and systems are managed for it to provide better education in the provinces,” Kombra said.
“The department feels that unless there is a quality PEA, leading without fear or favour, there won’t be a problem in improving the standards in our education system.”
Kombra said every province in the country has a PEA.
Kombra highlighted some issues on Papua New Guinea’s education standards under the current PEA appointment system.
He said the department noted that PEAs were routinely changed whenever there was a change in provincial administrations.
“It has always been an issue with the appointment of PEAs in the provinces; most of them are not appointed on merit.”
Kombra stressed that PEAs needed to have a background in teaching and have experience at different levels of the education system.
The majority of governors preferred that the appointment of PEAs was done in consultation with their offices or the provincial administrators.
Meanwhile, East Sepik Governor Allan Bird said the education system needed to be effectively managed and governed in order for standards to improve.
“We cannot just talk about the PEAs, the department has to take a step back and improve its standards and structures,” he said.
National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop supported Bird: “If we want to bring quality education, we should improve the standards in all the sectors”.