Mowana: Take care of teachers to raise level of education

 TEACHERS have to be looked after well if the government wants to see children receive quality education. 

PNG Teachers Association national general secretary Ugwalubu Mowana while commending the government’s tuition fee free education said other issues must be looked at also. 

“If you want to achieve quality education you must make sure that teachers are looked after, children’s needs are looked after, schools needs are looked after, and general infrastructure in the community are connected well so that this flow of goodness can come to our people.”

He said the union wants to see the population of this country educated and young children must be given the first preference.

“The Union is very happy that the National Government has provided tuition fee free education for our children in this country.”

Mowana said two things had since happened with the tuition free education policey: enrolment in schools had increased dramatically and children continuing in schools had increased and that had resulted in overcrowded classrooms making the teacher to pupil ratio unmanageable. 

He said the standard ratio is 1:35 in primary and secondary schools and 1:25 in national high schools.

“You will not get quality education if the teacher pupil ratio is 1:50 and 1:66 and 1:69 and 1:77. 

“You will not have quality education if you don’t train good teachers in this country. 

“You must train the teachers to produce quality. 

“You need good teachers, well-trained teachers, quality teachers for quality education.”

He said teachers’ salaries need to be improved, teachers be put into good houses, pay them extra for serving in remote schools, give them their teaching tools and training in order to get quality students.