Lufa implements school programme

By ZACHERY PER

  EIGHTY schools in Lufa district, Eastern Highlands, have implemented the School Learning Improvement Programme-driven budget aimed to properly manage the government’s tuition-free fee.

Lufa district education officer Kiwai Soer launched the SLIP-driven budget at Lufa Primary School on Tuesday.

He described it as very simple to ensure there is transparency and accountability in the use of subsidy paid directly to schools.

“I thank the government for injecting millions of kina under the free education policy,” he said.

Soer said some bright students from poor families who could not afford school fees had missed out on getting basic education.

The new government subsidy has changed all that.

He thanked Lufa standards officer Peter Danga for not wasting time in implementing the budgets in schools after a recent training conducted by senior standards officer Mupe Kaupa in Goroka.

He said the 27 primary schools and 53 elementary schools in Lufa had come up with their own budgets.

“All spending of school funds will be in curriculum materials, students welfare, staff professional development, infrastructure, administration, governance and community relations, finance and budgets,” Danga said.

He said the main aim of the concept was to prevent the misuse and abuse of school funds, promote transparency and accountability and enable schools to make easy acquittals.