Uguro: MPs must help schools

EDUCATION Minister Jimmy Uguro has urged MPs to assist schools in their electorates as regards the funding of school projects.
Uguro last week announced a Government directive to all schools not to charge parents project fees.
He said Government was paying for everything – school fees and project fees too.
He was responding in Parliament to questions from North Fly MP James Donald regarding school project fees.
Donald told Parliament that project fees were important for a school’s to succeed.
He gave as an example his former school which has an operational budget of K1.5million a year.
He said the funds paid to schools by the Government were not enough to cover the cost of running schools during the year plus the projects they planned to complete. He said each school had its own challenges. “The money that (Government) give is not enough,” Donald said.
One school in Port Moresby, the Jubilee Catholic Secondary School this week said it had no option but to defy the Government directive and charge parents projects fees.
School board chairman Joseph Yeou said they needed to charge parents K400 project fees per student to fund infrastructure development and school projects which the Government had failed to provide for.
Meanwhile, teachers are expected to resume duties next week while classes begin on Jan 30.