Morobe schools feeling pinch of free education, we must act now

THE idea of free education in its period of conception was a golden idea and we all supported it simply because the majority of our children are in rural areas where there is not enough cash to send them to school.
It was a good idea and we all went for it and that was correct.
And we do not regret the direction we have taken at that time and we want it to continue with the idea of free education regardless of how it has been managed up to now.
Not until all our communities in rural areas have seen economic development and cash flow. Until then we want free education to continue.
On the same note, we ask our leaders to improve on their management of free education.
On the ground we have our school authorities who have to begin the school year with cash on hand in order to have necessary things like chalk, dusters, exercise books for children on day one of the school year.
We know the real situation in the classroom on day one of the school year and therefore we support education officers like Keith Jiram who is the Morobe education adviser and his provincial education board which has put up a set figure for parents to put into the schools at the time of registration so as to enable schools to begin their academic year in time on day one. We support local education officers who make critical decisions to start our schools.
The situation in Morobe is serious, as reported in The National yesterday where boarding students from Bumayong Lutheran Secondary School, Busu Secondary, Wawin National High School and Bugandi might have to go home because there will be no food on the tables or lights in the dormitories on day one of the school year.
I like what our national government is doing in free education because the idea came from all our people throughout the country and we want it to continue for the benefit of the majority of our children who are in rural areas.
Of course, there are questions here and there and we hope that our officers on all levels of our education system will fix them.
On the other hand we have our education officers and authorities on the ground in each province and at each school and they have to start academic year in time
and to do that they need cash on hand.
I would like to suggest a way out which could pave a way for our Education Department and school authorities on the ground to help our schools, at least for the first quarter of each academic year.
I suggest that the cost for the first quarter or term one of each academic year should be paid for by students at the time of their registration so that the schools can start smoothly as they wait for the TFF fees to come in during the second term.
The TFF has 30 per cent for school infrastructure.
I suggest further that what each student should pay at the time of registration should be the 50 per cent of the remaining 70 per cent of the TFF.
In all this, students from remote areas like Menyamya, Kabwum, Garaina, Pindiu, Siassi, Sialum and Wantoat should be given a special consideration.
Rev Dr Numuc Kemung
Martin Luther Seminary, Lae