Give us our due, teachers say

 THE inquiry into the disbursement of salaries and entitlements for teachers in schools in Lae, last Friday, reflected the issues faced by teachers throughout the country.
Selected teachers represented schools from around Morobe and gave presentations to the committee headed by Wabag MP Robert Ganim, Eastern Highlands Governor Julie Soso and Goilala MP Daniel Mona at Balob Lutheran Teachers’ College.
The teachers predicted that the Government vision to achieve quality education would not be realised if the teachers’ welfare was not taken care of.
The teachers said their efforts inside and outside the classroom were massive and they were not being appreciated or financially rewarded by the Government and that included issues such as leave fares, travel entitlements, housing and K7 housing allowance, salary, overtime, disadvantage allowance, in-service sponsorship, payslip, heavy taxing, further training and the Teachers’ Services Commission.
“We are complying with the Government but where is the Government appreciation,” Omili Prime School deputy head teacher Mark Nanu said.
“We, the implementers of Government’s policies, are suffering,” Nanu, who is also the Morobe branch president of PNG Teachers’ Association, said.
“Many teachers who spoke wanted air travel and not forced to travel by sea or road as practiced now,”  a senior female teacher said.
Apart from calling for an increase of salaries from the three digit range to over K1,000, teachers also called for accommodation on campus to be made compulsory and an increase to the housing allowance.