Jiwaka education board conducts entry tests for 62 teacher graduates

THE Jiwaka education board (PEB) conducted entry test for 62 primary school graduate teachers.
According to provincial education adviser Dr Charly Muke, this was to see if the graduates were qualified and were fit to teach.
Dr Muke said graduates could score the required grade average point, but some were unable to teach in the classroom.
He said students in Jiwaka had performed poorly in previous years and the PEB was trying to find the cause of the poor performance.
Dr Muke said this entry test was one of the first step taken to address the issue of poor performance to students in Jiwaka schools.
Earlier, he said teachers in Jiwaka had not been inspected in the last eight years.
Dr Muke said this resulted in a drop in student performance in the last few years. He said schools in Jiwaka had no level 10 teachers to choose from and this meant that if the PEB wanted to change principals, they would have to choose another lower level teachers and assist them to become principal at level 10.
Dr Muke said inspection system would take time to bring a teacher up to level 10 so, in the meantime, PEB would advertise seven principal positions starting mid this year and PNG qualified principals could apply and be selected to head Jiwaka secondary schools.