By GEORGINA MICHAEL
Education Secretary Uke Kombra has warned schools throughout Papua New Guinea not to collect project fees from students.
He said K904 million had been allocated under the National Government’s free education policy this year of which K160m covered project fees.
“The project fees are now totally paid by the Government, hence, the parents are being called on to meet the basic needs (bus fares, uniforms, food, electricity, etc…) of a child as he or she is being sent to school,” Dr Kombra said.
He urged parents and guardians to support their schools through the self-reliance projects.
“That is a project that the school initiates that may be a classroom, an auditorium, a staff house etc,” he said.
“However, this is a self-reliant project, that is, if the Parents and Citizen Association of the school agrees and approves, they make a submission to the Provincial Education Board (PEB), and if it approves then the school can collect this self-reliant project component from parents.
“And so, we are making it very clear today that a project fee is a fee that the government is now paying to support schools to develop in the capital infrastructure or any other capital activity.
“On the other hand, the self-reliant project is a project that the parents will support the school but it must be approved by the parents and the citizenship association as well as the PEB. Other than that, no school is allowed to collect project fees or any other fees.”
Dr Kombra reiterated that the Education Department had made its stand clear that no school was allowed to collect any fees at all unless it was approved by the Provincial Education Board or the National Education Board.
“And so, schools can’t just go into collecting all kinds of fees and then there is no accountability for these fees,” he said.
“However, for boarding schools, FODE and special education we have drafted changes to the national government’s free education policy and we are waiting for the Minister to sign it so we can make necessary adjustments to the policy.
“The Education Department is now communicating with the Treasury Department to release the warrant so that they can process the payments to the school accounts as early as possible before the school year starts.”
What about National School of Excellence. Are they in the same category?
Please make a say on tertiary fees that is escalating to amounts which simple subsistence farmers cannot meet in both private and government/church run institutions please?
Does it covers the mission run school as well??
Any specific fee subsidies for private but permitted schools in the country.
And please increase from the lousy k100 perchild in permitted schools.
After all they meet all education department requirements and you education dept approved these schools.
Increase from k100 to k300 or k250/child in secondary schools
Doctor Kobakra God bless your heart.
Why I say that, Inflesion and we don’t have enough money to paying school fees.
And I thank God for the Doctor Kobakra, understanding the situation and citizenship of this Great Nation of PNG.