Concern raised over fees

EDUCATION secretary Dr Uke Kombra says a circular will be sent to schools throughout the country stopping them from charging user fees to institutions who send trainee teachers out for practical training.
Dr Kombra said this in Eastern Highlands last week when responding to University of Goroka (UoG) Vice-Chancellor Prof Musawe Sinebare’s concern that some schools were soliciting funds to take trainee teachers.
Prof Sinebare said schools had been charging the university for taking their students for practical teaching and this was an unfair practice.
“Yearly, about 500 final year students studying education go for teaching practice (TP) while an estimated 200-300 doing other content courses do industrial training (IT),” he said. “The final-year students’ tuition fees have their IT and TP component factored in their fees so as to cover pocket allowances we give them.
“UoG is grateful to the current government for recognising its efforts and giving us K2.9 million in funding for teaching practice.
“This will assist greatly in the logistics of sending students to the various provinces and schools we liaise with, but many of these schools are charging us fees.
“How are we to pay that extra cost when thinking of the logistics involved in shipping, flying and driving people to the various destinations?”
Dr Kombra said he was concerned with the practice and maintained that UoG and schools were all supposed to be stakeholders sharing a common goal.
“I will see to it that a circular is given to those schools discouraging them from this practice,” he said.