Province appoints first female senior school inspector

Main Stories

CHIMBU has for the first time appointed a woman as its senior school inspector.
Former primary school teacher Agnes Sika was appointed to the position of Inspector Basic Education.
She said one of her main roles, starting in the New Year, would be to focus on developing the intelligent quotient (IQ) of children in schools.
She was elevated to the senior inspector’s position after serving as a school inspector in the Gumine District for the last seven years.
She intends to direct teachers and inspectors to concentrate on developing the IQ of students apart from other programmes.
“Special emphasis must be placed on developing the IQ of children in schools rather than focusing on physical improvements of school infrastructures,” Sika said.
She said there was a greater need for teachers to guide and mentor students in the areas of knowledge, skills, attitude and values to develop their IQ.
Sika said the missing link in students’ learning was that teachers were not doing enough to develop the students’ IQ.
“Measuring and developing students’ mental capability is of paramount importance in the education system but teachers seldom do that. That is a sad mistake,” she said.
Sika said the seven practical skills identified and demonstrated in an educational publication titled “Blooms and Gardens” were significant for application by teachers.
“Teachers were taught at colleges to effectively measure student IQ but they rarely apply this in the classroom,” she said. “As the new inspector, I will make sure this is taken on board across all schools in Chimbu in the ensuing years.”
Sika also hopes that the Education Department would soon address this oversight for the advancement of student learning in the country.
Sika succeeded Joseph Ulkande as senior inspector.
She attended the University of Goroka and graduated with a bachelor in education in 2008.