Province to fill 200 posts

 By BENNY GETENG

THE Oro provincial government is keen to help fill more than 200 teaching vacancies in Northern schools.

Governor Gary Juffa is giving the issue priority and has dispatched a team, including Provincial Education Council sector chairman, Herbert Isemba, Charles Soso  and Gilchrist Babako to see to it.

The Oro government is keen on catching up in the education sector, which Juffa said was not in a good shape.

“Poor infrastructure, neglect from leaders, no proper provincial education board for three years, bad management of schools, poor teaching standards, low pass rate – Oro is in bad shape,” he said.

“It is time to overhaul and invest in human resources. It is time to rebuild our education sector.”

Juffa accompanied his team to the Madang Teachers’ College to speak to more than 30 interested graduating students.

He reminded the students that they would be expected to make some sacrifices. The Oro government recently appointed a provincial education board and has started developing plans to review the education sector in the province. 

The government is determined to fill all 200 vacancies and improve infrastructure of all schools, including housing for teachers and build new schools. 

Plans are in place to rebuild Martyrs Memorial High School and have it revert to an all-boys school under the management of the Anglican Church as it previously had been when it was a prestigious high school attracting students from all over the country. 

“Education is a primary pillar of development. An educated population will be a population that can move to develop an economy and is a population that can understand threats and opportunities to society and that can make informed decisions and understand government intentions and support them,” Juffa said.

“I intend not only to educate our children but our adults as well.”