Don’t wait for Govt, schools told

A HEAD teacher is encouraging schools in Lae, Morobe, to make their own arrangements in getting curriculum materials from Port Moresby to their schools.
Omili Primary School head teacher Mark Nanu said schools should not wait for the Government to do everything for them.
Nanu said the school, with 2,765 students, eight class streams and around 55 in each class, had been struggling with curriculum resources.
He, therefore, visited the Education Department curriculum division in Port Moresby to arrange for materials for his school.
School chairman James Marakinjin said they spent around K4,000 to transport the materials to Lae.
Last Wednesday, the school finally received its standards-based curriculum and outcomes-based education textbooks and library books.
Nanu said the students used to share one textbook among five of them. Eight teachers used to share one teacher’s guidebook.
“One textbook between five is really hard for a student to learn,” he said.
“Only two will actually be learning while the rest will remain as spectators.”
Now teachers will share six textbooks and three students can share one textbook.
“Although this does not completely satisfy our student population, in a small way, we are moving,” Nanu said.
“All schools that are waiting for these materials must make their own arrangements because there are stacks of these materials available to be given for free.”
Nanu said the Government did not have money to distribute the materials.
Morobe government tuition subsidy fee officer Joseph Tounokon said the distribution of curriculum materials had always been a problem.