By DALCY LULUA
TEACHING Service Commission (TSC) Acting Chairman Maini Mike Ugaia has warned provincial governments to ensure their Provincial Education Boards (PEBs) are fully constituted and operational by the end of July or risk losing the authority to appoint teachers for the 2027 academic year.
Mr Ugaia said all Provincial Education Boards with expired terms must immediately appoint or reinstate their full memberships to meet the timetable for the 2027 teacher appointment exercise.
The warning follows the nullification of teacher appointments in Hela, Manus and Gulf provinces during the 2026 appointment process after the affected Provincial Education Boards failed to comply with TSC requirements.
Mr Ugaia described the situation as unacceptable, saying the Commission would not allow administrative failures to continue affecting teachers’ welfare, employment conditions and salaries.
“Teachers’ welfare, terms and conditions of employment are of paramount importance, and the Commission will not tolerate administrative failures that affect all teachers,” he said.
He said provinces that fail to reactivate their Provincial Education Boards within the required timeframe would have the teacher appointment process taken over by the TSC Head Office in Port Moresby.
“If provinces fail to comply, the Teaching Service Commission Head Office will intervene, centralise the entire process and make all teacher appointments directly from Port Moresby,” Mr Ugaia warned.
He said immediate compliance is necessary to ensure teacher payroll and occupancy data are fully updated before Pay One of 2027, preventing unnecessary salary suspensions and delays.
Mr Ugaia also instructed all Provincial Education Boards to strictly follow the timetable contained in Circular Instruction No. 8 of 2026, which announces 42,000 teaching position vacancies nationwide for the 2027 academic year.
The circular sets out the mandatory schedule that all Provincial Education Boards must follow to ensure the timely and lawful appointment of teachers across the country.