Province yet to verify reports of 19 ghost schools

 THE Madang provincial education office is yet to verify reports that 19 schools in the province claiming tuition free-fees were not genuine schools.

An investigation ordered by the Government into the distribution of tuition free funds nationwide revealed that 19 schools in Madang in the TFF list did not exist. Provincial education director for Madang Moses Sariki said some of the schools were registered so he would wait for the Education Department in Port Moresby to verify them. 

“The problem we have right now is that there is no communication between us at the provincial level and those in Port Moresby,” Sariki said.

He said all education heads met two weeks ago in a conference in Port Moresby and highlighted that communication networking was a major contributing factor in TFF issues.

Sariki said there was a huge restructure of positions in the Education Department.

He said officers responsible for processing queries and agendas from the provinces should take their confirmed positions by the end of the year and many problems would be sorted.

“We will sort out and find out how the ghosts schools ended up in Wagani,” Sariki said.

Meanwhile, he said Kusbau Primary School has been getting many complaints in newspapers about absent teachers.

He said teachers had reasons for being away and such issues should be raised in school meetings.