Official: Morobe may defy project fee directive

 By FREDRICK JEJERI

PARENTS in Morobe may be required to pay project fees because the tuition fee-free allocations from the Government are not enough to operate schools, an official says.

PNG Teachers Association Morobe branch president Mark Nanu said the provincial education board  (PEB) had already approved the charging of project fees on parents and guardians under the Education Act. But it has been put on hold pending a review by the education board of the tuition fee-free allocations.

“The decision was made based on the fact that schools in Morobe have not benefited from the TFF policy,” Nanu said.

“There were not enough infrastructures built, no settling of bills, non-payment of ancillary staff and no maintenance work in schools.” 

He said the PEB would allow schools in the province to charge fees according to their plans. 

Governor Kelly Naru said the province would manage its education system in a “common sense way” and not in a “nonsense way” like what the Government was doing. Naru said provinces were confused about the conflicting statements coming from the Education Department on the project fees and TFF subsidies to schools. 

“There are two to three people informing this nation about the TFF with different information,” Naru said. He said Education Acting Secretary Dr Uke Kombre had instructed schools not to collect project fees, reversing an earlier directive.