Madang teachers without teaching jobs

By DOROTHY MARK
AS teachers throughout the country resume work this week, hundreds of their colleagues in Madang are still without teaching positions.
The current listing of appointments by the Madang education office has left many teachers without positions. Many of the affected teachers were queuing up in the education office yesterday demanding answers to their queries.
Some of those interviewed have questioned how the postings were made when there were no school inspection reports done last year.
According to the teachers, the reports would determine their postings this year.
Teacher Bob Sakol said he won a substantive level eight position last year at Kusbau Primary School in Madang town when the position was published for teachers to apply. Because he was a substantive level seven teacher and eligible to act on a level eight position he applied and won the position and was notified to be headmaster of the school.
Sakol said a qualified level six teacher was appointed instead for that position and he wanted provincial education adviser Moses Sariki to explain why.
Former Lutheran Day Primary School teacher Joanne Salaiau said she was a specialised sign language teacher but was now left without a position.
“I am worried about my students because I don’t know if other teachers would communicate with them better,” Salaiau said.
A teacher from Walium, in Usino-Bundi, said there were two separate lists for teacher postings for the district.
One list was from the provincial education board and one was from the district.
“As a result one school ended up having two headmasters,” the teacher said.
Sariki said the matter would be dealt with once schools start next week and teachers began teaching.