Commentary
TSC Chairman, Mr Baran Sori, and NDoE secretary, Dr Michael Tapo, must be suspended for incompetency. Why a report - the Ganim Report - sanctioned by the Parliamentary Referral Committee on Education and conducted between March and April last year failed on its 'Initial Findings'?
As reported (in Post Courier) Ganim report was a working progress, but given that these leaders in Education are committee members, you would have thought last year should have ended well for teachers. They have seen the findings, they made submissions to PRCE, yet why have teachers not given 2014 leave entitlements?
The heads of education in the country are as dumb as any provincial education authorities and past and current education ministers. A bad combination!
PNGTA is planning court action. If a nationwide strike by teachers stops 2015 academic year, heads must roll.
Get someone new to effect the recommendation of Ganim report.
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PC report
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TEACHER woes in the country is no "overnight" problem which all 48,000 teachers in the country must first understand and bear with before help and long term solutions can be sought, Chairman of Parliamentary Referral Committee on Education (PRCE) and Wabag Open MP, Robert Ganim has said.
As such, he urged all teachers to refrain from any sort of industrial actions that could jeopardize the start of 2015 school year which millions of school children could be affected unfairly.
Mr. Ganim who led a PRCE nationwide investigation into the issues of teachers in the country between March and April last year said details of his findings (Ganim Report or GR) were presented to Parliament in its August 26 session.
Parliament adopted the GR and resolved that the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and the Department of Education (DoE) undertake the recommendations and report back to Parliament within three (3) months.
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| Pic courtesy: Post Courier - Cyril Gare file pic |
TSC Chairman, Mr. Baran Sori flanked by his Commissioners was addressing the PRCE Committee at the Parliament B2 Conference room on April 10, 2014 during the nationwide investigation into teachers’ issues. Cyril Gare file pic.
Upon which, a combined approach was taken by the TSC and DoE between September and November last year through the establishment of a Working Committee (WC) comprising TSC Chairman, Baran Sori as Chairman, Dr. Uke Kombra, Mr. Titus Romano Hatagen, PNG Teachers’ Association General Secretary, Mr. Ugwalabu Mowana, and Fr. Paul Jennings.
The WC undertook the recommendations of Parliament which resulted in a detail Report that is ready to be presented to PRCE Chairman Ganim who then will present to Parliament for adaptation when it resumes on February 10, 2015 at 2:30 pm.
The WC Report provides specific policy directions, identifies strategic outcomes, provides general guidelines in implementing these policy directions, set out the monitoring and evaluation framework, and provides costing – about K26 million - for its implementation over a five (5) year period (2015-2019).
According to the WC, the Government has work to do - in the long term - in addressing the teachers’ problems in these key areas:
Review functions of Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and Department of Education (DoE);
Review and define teachers’ salaries and allowances;
Review the teacher appointment process;
Review the tenure appointment process;
Review salaries and entitlements of teachers;
Decentralize ALESCO pay system to provincial education authorities;
Adopt an effective and efficient teacher leave fare management;
Create a leave fare data base;
Make TSC assumes financial autonomy as a separate entity of State;
Review process of retrenchment, retirement and resignation of teachers;
Establish a centralised teachers’ information database; and
Provide manpower and capacity development for teachers.
