SURVEY FINDS 200 GHOST SCHOOLS IN PNG
Among the classified reports, are over 200 suspected ghost schools.
Chairman of the nationwide school survey task force, Paru Aihi, said the education sector has been over budgeted for and there is widespread misuse of funding.
The Chairman made the remarks while receiving a schools survey report from the member for South Fly, Aida Ganasi.
The National School Survey Taskforce was set up in 2013 to carry out a stock take on schools throughout the country.
The Taskforce oversees figures from the number of students to teacher ratio to the state of infrastructure, or lack of it. To help with the collection of data, K100, 000 was allocated to the 89 MPs of the country.
So far, 75 MPs have handed in their survey reports, with the Member for South Fly, Aide Ganasi, making that total.
He said his officers had to negotiate difficult terrain to complete the survey. South Fly recorded no ghost schools or misuse of school subsidies; however, there is a cause for suspicion.
Financial illiteracy, shortage of teachers and run down infrastructure was of concern. Mr Ganasi proposed semi-permanent buildings to be built.
He commended his teachers for continuing to provide their service, despite the hardships.
Executive officer to the taskforce, Miria Ume, while expressing the magnitude of the scope of works, said to get accurate data, officers had to physically visit schools and they are relying on all open MPs to help facilitate the task.
The data currently on their database does not match up to current findings. For instance, there are more students on the database compared to actual numbers on the ground. The same can be said for teachers.
There are 14 more districts yet to submit their survey reports and acquittals.
They include 5 districts in the highlands, 3 in the Niugini Islands, 3 in the Momase region and 3 in the Southern region.
Taskforce Chairman Paru Aihi stressed the importance of having the data available so that realistic figures could be passed on to the government in preparation for the 2015 budget.
According to classified reports, there are 206 suspected ghost schools. PNG Today/ EMTV.. Scholarships for Study Abroad
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