Education adviser gets suspended

THE East Sepik education adviser Joseph Auli has been sidelined pending the outcome of investigations into teachers’ concerns, according to acting provincial administrator Richard Kombo.
Kombo, who is acting in the position effective earlier this month, said one of the concerns raised by teachers were about their postings.
Many of the teachers will remain at the current posts or schools they were last year as there would be no new appointments.
Earlier this year, the teachers, through the East Sepik Teacher’s Association, had petitioned East Sepik Governor Allan Bird on issues affecting them. They claimed that leave fares were an on-going issue.
According to the association, there were about 3000 gazetted positions in the province.
Kombo said officials from the Teaching Service Commission were in the province to help address some of the issues.
East Sepik teachers’ union representative Andrew Kopta said the teachers started work last week.
“Our petition has been recognised by the governor and he has given directives to acting provincial adviser Kombo to suspend the East Sepik education division,” he said.
Meanwhile, the 4000-plus teachers in East Sepik have been asked to remain at school and teach after filling in their resumption forms.