Dept told to act on directives

 THE acting Education Secretary Dr Michael Tapo has two months to ensure policy directives from the Government are concluded.

Acting Education Minister James Marape told Dr Tapo and his managers that he expected the directives to be ticked off within two months. 

He urged the top management team and senior officers to support  Tapo in his capacity as the acting secretary to fast track the implementation of these policy directions.

Marape sounded a strong warning to the senior officers from the Education Department saying that failure by Tapo to achieve these key policy directions within the next two months will result in a review of the positions of Tapo and one or two senior officers. 

“If Tapo goes because he has not performed, then he will go with some of you,” Marape warned. 

Marape said Tapo was specifically appointed by the National Executive Council to ensure that certain policy directions to do with key policies, structure and curriculum initiated by the Government were implemented as soon as possible. 

The following policy directions are important tasks that Tapo must conclude quickly:

• Outcomes Based Education (OBE) exit;
• Tuition Fee Free (TFF) report;
• Commodity component;
• Schools Survey ;
• Education Infrastructure plan; and
• Department restructure

Marape mentioned that the NEC had approved a restructure to the department to include the National Commission for UNESCO without changing its functions. 

He added that Technical Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) will be given stronger support in future budgets.

Tapo has served the Department of Education for 36 years.

Meanwhile, outgoing acting secretary Luke Taita thanked all the officers of the Department for their support in the last nine months that he was acting in the position. 

He also thanked the media for their support in developing education by reporting the developments that had been taking place in the sector.