Rural school teacher concerned with TFF funding

TUITION Fee Free funds allocated to bring learning materials to schools in remote areas are often not sufficient, a head teacher says.
Gas Iamata is the head teacher at Bimsisi Primary School in Morehead, South Fly, Western, who expends his fortnightly wage to meet extra transport costs.
“To buy and bring teaching materials from Daru it costs us K1200 per boat (load) plus the 400L of fuel to take a boat here (Bimsisi) and back to Daru,” Iamata said.
“Schools in urban areas don’t have extra. They spend straight on the books and equipment and easily move them to their schools.”
Iamata said he transports materials only during the dry season by hiring a truck for K800 per load which brings books and equipment from Oreomo to the school.
Iamata noted that disadvantaged schools in the remote parts of the country which do not have access to roads and communication.
Some of the disadvantaged schools at Morehead apart from Bimsisi includes: Taieme, Kwiwang, Mari, Dimadaban and Kiriwo primary schools.