Counting affects highlands schools

By JAMES APA GUMUNO
THE delay and slow pace of vote counting in the highlands provinces has affected many schools.
Many teachers and public servants were engaged in the counting of ballot papers and are there full-time at their respective counting centres.
Many schools in Mt Ha­gen, Western Highlands; Wa­­bag, Enga; Jiwaka and Kundiawa, Chimbu, are still closed as there are no teachers in classrooms this week.
Provincial education adviser Eassy Walkaima told NBC Chimbu his inspectors
informed him most schools remained closed as teachers were engaged in counting.
Walkaima said they had to make physical checks on every school and if that was true, he would pull the tea­chers out of counting to enable classes to resume.
He said teachers engaged in counting should not let innocent students suffer.
He said he wanted classes to resume as soon as possible.
Western Highlands’ assistant education secretary Joe Yaga went on Eagle FM, saying normal classes would start on Monday.
But most schools in the city were closed on Monday.
Some frustrated students from Hagen Secondary went on air, expressing their concerns about classes not resuming on time.
They called on education authorities to get the tea­chers out of counting rooms so classes could resume.
Classes at Wabag Administration School were suspended for an indefinite period because vote counting is taking place in the school grounds.
Counting in Eastern Highlands begun yesterday and schools were expected to face similar problems.