East Sepik school owes K200,000 as funds run out

A SECONDARY school in East Sepik has been operating on a “credit” basis because it is still awaiting its allocation of tuition fee-free funds since the beginning of the year.
Kubalia Secondary School in Yangoru-Saussia principal John Sikawa said the bills had built up more than K200,000 which needed to be paid.
The school has not received any funding assistance from the provincial, district and local-level governments.
“The parental component (of the TFF subsidy) that the school received is not enough. It was used to complete some teachers’ houses. Others are yet to be completed,” he said.
Sikawa has written to acting education manager Richard Kombo seeking approval to suspend classes until the government subsidy arrived.
“If the school is to continue, it would need K500,000 to settle its debts and to keep the school’s administration running till the end of the year,” he said.
Despite being a premier school in the district, many of its buildings are not permanent.
Students burnt down the boys’ dormitory on July 18.
Some teachers have left because of the poor standard of their quarters.
Kombo confirmed that the school was awaiting the TFF funds and blamed the board of management and the principal for submitting the necessary late, thus the delay in the payment of funds.
Kombo said the school had 20 teaching positions but currently there were only 16 teachers there.
Yangoru-Saussia MP Richard Maru said he was going to get to the bottom of the problem with the school’s administration.