Materials pose challenge

ACCOMMODATION and lack of teaching materials are some of the challenges faced by teachers in remote schools, says an official.
Martine Kubai, a cluster leader in Madang representing the Madang urban local level government partnering with World Vision on an education project, told the National Elementary Education Forum in Port Moresby that there were many challenges faced by teachers in rural districts.
“When teachers from other provinces are sent to certain elementary schools to teach, some communities are not very supportive,” he said.
“They cannot build a house for that teacher, who is trying to impart knowledge to the children from that community.”
Kubai also said teaching and learning materials were lacking in most remote elementary schools.
“I believe those materials were produced, printed and distributed to schools but most of these materials have not reached the schools since 2015,” he said.
“I have been an elementary teacher for the last 26 years and I love teaching children.
“I want to be a role model so that we can build better leaders of tomorrow but how can we do that when we face a lot of challenges.”
Kubai said teachers were trying their best to collect materials here and there and even when there was no money they spent from their own pockets to ensure the children learned something. “With no proper place for storage, our materials do not last long in the classroom, and if the teacher does not stay around the school ground because of accommodation problem, those materials go missing when he or she comes back the next day.”
Kubai thanked World Vision for working with schools in his LLG over the last 18 months which had helped teachers and improved the student’s numeracy and literacy.