Parents urged to send kids to school

By PAUL SINGE
EVERY parent in Papua New Guinea must make full use of the free education policy, a teacher says.
No parent should allow their school-aged children to wander around aimlessly when they should be in school, Oscar Stanley, the teacher-in-charge of Keka Elementary School in Henganofi district, Eastern Highlands, said last Wednesday.
He said parents should thank the government for making sure the money for school fees had been paid into the accounts of respective schools.
Stanley said this was a great opportunity for parents to put their children into schools.
He said Keka Elementary school had grown from since its first intake in 1997 of 30 children.
Stanley said in 1998, the enrolment increased to 80 students and he decided take on two volunteer teachers.
“I take another two more teachers and currently we have a five staff, with more than 100 students enrolled this year,” he said.
He said he encouraged all his staff to take on further training every year and his five staff members were qualified to teach.
“Overall, I enjoy my profession in teaching and  next year I plan to go for further studies to become a primary teacher,” he said.
Stanley said he spent a good number of years teaching but he did receive any help from the government.
He appealed to the Eastern Highlands provincial education division and Henganofi district administration to help him run the school.
“I made this appeal because many times I seek financial assistance to upgrade my school but no help was given.”