Trainees, NSO clash at workshop

National, Normal
Source:

The National – Tuesday, June 21, 2011

By RIGGO NANGAN
TRAINEES for the census last Thursday accused the National Statistics Office of not providing training materials and paying their allowances on time.
When the 66  trainees at the  train the trainers’ workshop held in Lae last week raised the complaint, Morobe deputy provincial administrator Patilius Gamato was called in to  address them.
The trainees raised their grievances over allowances, training materials, transport, food, outstanding household listing payments and the training itself, which they claimed had  been  poorly organised.
The trainees  said  their  allowances had not been arranged. They questioned why the training materials sent from Port Moresby had not reached the training room.
They claimed the materials were still sitting at the Lae wharf and the company engaged by the office to clear and transport them had not done so.
They questioned why all these  had not been finalised  before the training. 
Gamato told them the census and elections were the functions of the national government and the provincial and local level governments  only implemented them.
He said statistics office in Port Moresby had engaged a local company to be responsible for transporting the  materials.
He urged the trainees to concentrate on training and not be distracted  by someone else’s responsibilities.
Gamato told the trainees government had allocated K6 million for census training nationwide but it  had been reduced by half.
He warned that those caught involved in malpractices would be dealt with and assured them their allowances would be ready by last Friday.
Two representatives each from the 33 LLGs in the province made up the 66 trainees who underwent training to train supervisors and interviewers in their respective LLGs in preparation for the national elections next year.