Concerns over free education

PHILIP Aravure Primary School head teacher Robert Silas says the Government’s plan for free education next year will probably affect school administrations because most of the time funds are delayed.
“When the Government funds are delayed, it affects the operation of schools,” he said.
“When parents pay schools fees or project fees, it helps pay for the operational expenses of the school.
“The free education policy did not and will not work well because of funding woes.
“We have used schools fees from parents to build a canteen and pay the water and power bills.
“If the Government is serious and is concerned about education, it should give funding on time or early to ensure smooth school administration.”
Earlier this month, Prime Minister James Marape announced that the Government would pay all (100 per cent) tuition fees for Government schools next year.
Marape announced that due to the Covid-19 pandemic that affected the economy, as of next year, all Government schools would be free.
“With Covid-19 and many parents are struggling nationwide, we have already decided to shoulder the burden of paying school fees,” he said. “Students who have programmes at institutions of higher learning will still continue next year.
“We will try our very best to carry the load as we go forward.”
Education Minister Jimmy Uguro said the total funding for the government tuition fee subsidy (GTFS) policy this year was K486,351,600.
Parents paid 37 per cent and the Government paid 63 per cent of the fees whilst Fode is free this year.
Uguro said GTFS underscored its principle to make education cost a partnership between governments, parents, churches and the local communities.
“We have seen the last regime making our people lazy, detached parents from schools and systematically removed their interest in schools,” he said.
“We want to disengage and cut out the dependency syndrome that we have systematically allowed into our PNG culture.
“The shift in the school financing policy by the Government is deliberate to get parents and communities to plough the soil and work hard and contribute to reviving the economy than creating a ‘handout culture’ and a dependency syndrome.”