Teachers’ leave fare still unresolved

DISGRUNTLED Morobe teachers yesterday fronted up to the provincial education office demanding that their travel allowances be paid in full.
They said it was improper for the Education division to meet only certain legs of their journey home.
One head teacher travelling to East Sepik said he had received his travel fares from Madang to Wewak only.
He showed a photocopy of his travel ticket on Lutheran Shipping from Madang to Wewak.
He said the education division did not cater for his road travel to Madang, and the other leg from Wewak to his village.
Other teachers from the Highlands also said their travel fares only catered for their travel to the town areas and not to the districts, where they were to spend their holidays.
Provincial programme adviser Murika Bihoro said he did not know how the situation came to rise, but assured the teachers that the issue would be addressed so that they could go home for the holidays.
Mr Bihoro told the teachers to produce a list of names and the amount needed to cover all their travel expenses.
Some of the teachers said they had produced all the details earlier and asked for an investigation to be carried out on the staff of the administration that have access to the money.
They feared mismanagement of the money by certain officers.
The teachers also demanded an explanation for the delay of their outstanding leave fares for 2007 and 2008.
Mr Bihoro said he had received a letter from the Finance Department on Tuesday.
The letter advised that K1 million had been allocated to the Education office to pay off the teachers outstanding leave fares for 2007 and 2008.
He could not reach the budget officer yesterday for confirmation of the allocation.
A total of K680,391 make up the outstanding leave fares for the teachers of Morobe.
This allocation was made possible after an audit and expenses report was produced to the Finance Department by Mr Bihoro.