Teachers cry foul over deductions

By SALLY TIWARI
TWO teachers have expressed frustration over deductions made to their entitlements by the Education Service, saying it could be fraud.
Port Moresby teachers James Loma, of Tokarara High School, and Wilson Manu, of Kilakila Secondary School, said they had applied for a higher amount that had been approved by the finance department.
But they said when it came to the NCD Education Services the amount was reduced because their applications had shortfalls.
Loma, who applied for K11,000, received K6,000 while Manu, who applied for K10,000, received only K4,000.
Loma and his family were to have travelled to Mt Hagen on Air Niugini and then to Banz with the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) but he cannot do that now.
The NCD Education Services said the MAF was not in operation and instructed him to try other alternate routes by PMV despite him providing quotations of the flight.
Loma claimed that some officers in the NCD Education Services were submitting ghost names to make claims for their own benefit.
They called upon the Teaching Services Commission to investigate why such unnecessary deductions were being made.
NCD Education Services assistant secretary Tau Nauna said all claims were made according to the Teaching Services Commission Act.
Nauna said one of the major reasons for the deductions was that some teachers were giving false personal details of their family members and their travel destinations to get as much money as possible.
“These teachers try to use the longest possible remote routes to gain more money from the NCD Education Services.
“We cannot allow that,” Nauna said.
He said the Department of Finance had allocated K2 million to provide to 700 teachers out of 2,000 teachers who went on leave last year.
He said the delay in releasing some of the entitlements was because the teachers’ claims had to be crosschecked to ensure they were not making false claims.
He said the TSC Act provides that teachers’ children aged 16 years and above were not eligible to benefit from their parents entitlements.
He called on those teachers with issues of deductions to consult the NCD Education office, which would then carry out proper investigations to establish reasons for the deductions.