Teachers work unpaid
A PRIMARY school teacher from Telefomin, West Sepik, has been working without pay for almost three years.
Jamson Mah (Teaching File No: 10192453), who was posted to Waranene Primary School, one of the remotest schools in the district, said he had not been paid for the past three years since starting there.
Mah said he had not experienced any issues in his 11 years of teaching until he took up his post at Waranene.
He said the school was so isolated that it took a week to reach the nearest government station at Oksapmin.
Mah said although he had filled in the necessary resumption forms and submitted them to the district education office in Telefomin and to the provincial capital Vanimo, he had yet to be paid since 2017.
He said there were only two teachers at the school and they had made a lot of sacrifices to their jobs and appealed to authorities to address the issue of their salaries, allowance and conditions.
Waranene head teacher Wilson Bepsil said they had written to the authorities but had not received a response.
He said provincial education officers needed to visit all schools in a district to know the problems they were facing.
Bepsil said schools in Telefomin were disadvantaged because the Education Department and the Teaching Service Commission failed to pay teachers allowances on time even though they submitted their claims annually.
Oksapmin Primary School teacher Frustoha Fiatoha said he had never received his disadvantage allowance for the past 12 years. He said life was difficult serving in many remote communities but teachers continued to serve the people.
Bepsil said he had higher duty allowances which had never been paid by the state even though he had been serving as a head teacher for some time. The teachers also raised concerns that schools in Telefomin were also entitled to mining allowance from Ok Tedi but they had not received any benefits.
They, however, said they would not stop doing their jobs.
4 comments
The Education Department & Teaching service commission should look into providing incentives for teachers serving in the remote schools to attract teachers to the most remote parts of PNG. Pay their dues in the name of justice and give them medals as well to recognize their sacrifice. True heroes sacrificing to mold the brains of this nation.
This is one of the serious thing that Education Department has to consider on this. Just look at yourself if you were working in such remote places. They are human being and every man has basic needs. Treat them and pay their outstanding on time. More infrastructure development on town schools and higher authorities not even think about schools in the remote places. I personally salute these poor teachers committing their effort in remote places. One day, may Lord our King appears on eastern sky with his countless of angels, you will be rewarded. Don’t give up, but one thing committee your work and your life to God so that you’ll get eternal life.
Wonder why people in the office who supposed to fast track pays and allowances causing trauma to some of our committed officers faithfully serving the remote corners of our country.
What a shame!!
Please people wake up.
Discipline those who are not performing their mandated duties.
I think, for the better civilization. PNG have to shift the development strategy to reverse-bias, that is from the rural areas to the urban centers. There are some potential in the jungle of our beautiful nation like agriculture, human resource, and others. The long-suffering public servant and zealous civilians in rural areas owes much to the state.
If the state is running the one direction and doesn’t progresses, the direction has to be shifted. Why not give a chance to our rural communities who’ve been in dark since independent.
That’s “TAKE BACK PNG”
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