Teachers: WHP has no database

By GIBSON TORASO
TEACHERS in Western Highlands who gathered in Mt Hagen city on Tuesday to collect their leave fares from a travel agent, say the province does not have a database of teachers based there.
They said the lack of a database on the number of teacher postings in the province had resulted in a budget shortfall for the cost of travel for the 24 teachers who have missed out on their leave fares.
They claimed that the K1.3 million was the same amount allocated last year but was not enough to cater for all the teachers in the province.
Joshua Kono, claiming to speak on behalf of the teachers, said the provincial education division did not have a proper database to keep a record of the number of teachers working in the province.
“The provincial education division has failed miserably to have database to know how many teachers they employ,” he said.
He said it had resulted in leave fare shortfalls because the amount of money allocated was not enough for all the teachers and their families to travel home.
Kono said some teachers who had missed out on the leave fares were planning to hire a lawyer to query the shortfall so everyone could travel.
The teachers also questioned why the PNG Teachers Association kept silent every Christmas when it should be fighting for their case.
The teachers demanded that the provincial education board to give their dues before tomorrow.