Teacher quality and numbers under spotlight

Caption: Minister Tabar

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, April 10, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

MINISTER for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Malakai Tabar, has aimed for through his department to address the issue of quality education in light of the Government’s free education policy.

Responding to Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas’s concerns on the shortage of specialist teachers within various core subjects and the support of the department of the minister in supporting efforts to train teachers in his province- the minister revealed plans to have teaching curriculum reviewed in teacher colleges.

“We realized now that because of the government’s policy on free education we have a problem in terms of quality education as well as shortage of teachers- especially English, math, and science,” Ipatas said.

He asked the minister if his department would support the effort of the province in beefing up teacher numbers through the teachers college situated in his province.

“Will his department support the initiative of the Enga provincial government, because the University of Goroka cannot meet the demand of shortage?”

Tabar told the governor and parliament of the Government’s commitment for initiatives where gaps exist that are being worked on to identify the shortage with teachers- confessing that the major task for quality is there.

“We would like to make sure that all our universities are able to make sure that responsibility of maintaining the quality of their graduating students.”

“We are making presentations to the department of education as to review work on the curriculum in the University of Goroka and especially and in a few other areas.”

“We called on institutions together early last month into Kokopo- teachers colleges, technical colleges, and nursing colleges and they were happy,” Minister Tabar said.

He said the aim was to see the capacity of those institutions of higher learning that his department is supporting.

“Unfortunately the department of education has made presentation through cabinet to try and visit the law on demarcation on who is to be responsible for teacher’s colleges and technical colleges,” the minister revealed.

“That has been worked on and the secretary of education, chief secretary, and department of personnel management have been tasked to look into that.”

“We would like to make sure that we do our best to maintain quality at the same time we are aware of those gaps and number of teachers needed for our primary and secondary schools is growing every year.”

“I would like to assure Enga and everybody else that are part of those programs and we would like to maintain the quality of those graduates that come out of those institutions.”

Tabar elaborated that the methodologies of getting teachers out into classrooms are now gone, and the need to ensure graduates coming out of teaching colleges have competencies that make them qualified to stand in front of students.