Parent urges dept to hold tuition funds due to no reports

 A PARENT of a school in Central has urged the Department of Education to hold the tuition free fee funds to a school until parents are told about the school’s spending in past years. 

The parent, who identified the school as Gemo Primary school, said they had not been briefed of the school’s 2012 and 2013 spending as yet.

The parent said the school has unfinished projects which had raised a question of whether the funds were used properly. 

The parent said the school had not improved its facilities as well as the performance of students and the parents had called a meeting which was attended only by the parents without the presence of the school board and head teacher.

“The parents have called for a meeting for every Tuesday before the school starts with the hope of knowing the school’s progress and how the funds where used but not a school board or head teacher had made an attempt to attend the meeting. This has frustrated parents as many of us live in Port Moresby and had to drive all there the way for the meeting,” the parent said.

The parent said the non-attendance of school officials at the meetings had posed doubts in their minds and the tuition fee free funds should be held back and the school be investigated for possible misappropriation of funds. 

Meanwhile Central provincial education advisor, Titus Hatagen said they had not received any complaints from parents regarding the management of Gemo Primary School and urged parents to direct such concerns to them before going to the media.

“I welcome the parents’ concern and assure them that action would be taken,“ Hatagen said.

He said the division had taken a strong stand for proper acquittal of government funds and schools that failed to acquit would be disciplined and boards dissolved.