Papua New Guinea (PNG) Education Secretary Dr Uke Kombra has issued a warning to school principals and head teachers charging additional fees. Those found guilty will face suspension without pay and legal consequences.
Dr Kombra emphasized that the government had already disbursed K314 million to cover Term One tuition, boarding, and project fees for every student. These funds were transferred directly to school accounts or provincial trust accounts last Thursday and Friday. To maintain order in the first week of school, the Department of Education will not address defiant head teachers and principals immediately. However, starting on Feb 5, action will be taken against those found in violation.
Despite issued notices against charging fees, reports have surfaced of schools persisting in collecting tuition and project fees. To avoid suspension and legal actions, head teachers and principals are urged to cease fee collection immediately. They should also send official letters to parents, instructing them not to pay any further fees, and refund any fees already collected.
Parents and the public are encouraged to report any defiant head teachers to local school inspectors or directly to the Government Tuition Fee Subsidy (GTFS) division. Reports must be accompanied by evidence of fees being charged, notices for fees, deposit forms, and/or receipts. Dr Kombra explained that schools with genuine projects should submit their project proposals to Parents and Citizens (P&Cs), then to the Provincial Education Board (PEB) or National Education Board (NEB). The proposal should specify the project, budget shortfall, years required to complete the project, and obtain written approval from NEB or PEB to collect fees. He clarified that PEBs should not set blanket fees but allow P&Cs of each school to submit and justify the fees to be collected. In a related development, Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Minister Don Polye announced the disbursement of outstanding 2023 Tertiary Education Student Assistance Scheme (TESAS) payments, totaling K30.5 million. Polye assured that there were no outstanding TESAS arrears and explained the process for students in AES or HECAS to receive funds as academic awards. He highlighted the authority of universities and higher education institutions' governing councils to set annual tuition fees, potentially adjusting them as needed. The Tesas program operates under regulations, and a digitized system has been introduced for Tesas awards linked to available funds. The system swiftly identifies eligible students and awards Tesas transparently. Continuing and new students follow the same regulations and systems, with GPAs playing a crucial role in award considerations. Watch Video and subscribe to Youtube Comments are closed.
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