School yet to receive TFF due to row over position

A primary school in Western Highlands did not receive its tuition-fee free (TFF) funding following a conflict over appointment of a head teacher.
Douglas Tiko, a board member of the Holy Trinity Demonstration School in Mt Hagen, said the tug-of-war was the reason the school did not receive its funds, making it difficult to sustain its operation.
He said the Catholic education agency and the provincial education board (PEB) made their own appointments.
He said whatever that was between the agency and PEB was their problem.
“The school’s ancillary staff are not being paid while water supply, electricity and other bills are still outstanding,” Tiko said.
“Whoever is in the school should carry on and whenever court results are made known, changes can be made.
“We are concerned about our students learning, we are not interested in the fight between the PEB and the agency,” Tiko said.
He said the problem faced now was of the headmaster’s post in which one was appointed by the PEB while the other by the agency.
Catholic education agency board chairman Joe Yaga when contacted said he had talked to the management of the school to provide the acquittals for last year and this year to the TFF coordinator Western Highlands so that funding could be released.
He said once the acquittals were provided then funding would be released.
Yaga said they should not face any problems once acquittals are submitted to the TFF coordinator.