Govt committed to paying school subsidies: Minister

EDUCATION Minister Jimmy Uguru says the Government is committed to paying the subsidies of schools throughout the country this year.
He was responding to a series of questions in Parliament by the Pomio MP Elias Kapavore.
Kapavore asked if the Government had paid all outstanding funds for schools in East New Britain, reviewed an agreement between the Education Department and East New Britain to ensure funds went directly to schools in Pomio and if some teachers in the province who had not been paid for the last five years had been given their backdated entitlements.
Uguro said the Government had released funds to pay the school fee subsidy under its government tuition fee subsidy policy.
“Government pays money directly to school accounts and they can manage and acquit for the funds used,” he said.
He said the agreement between province and the department would see money for Pomio still given to the provincial government from where it would be passed on to schools in Pomio.
“You can liaise with the provincial government and make this arrangement,” Uguro told Kapavore.
Uguro said the Teaching Service Commission was tasked to manage all the salaries and welfare of registered teachers.