Bougainville Education Department empowered to manage tuition fee funds program
The National Government’s Tuition Fee Subsidy program will now be managed under the ABG Department of Education on Bougainville.
This follows the transfer of the relevant powers and functions of the Government Tuition Fee Subsidy (GTFS) Policy from the National Department of Education to the ABG Department of Education.
This milestone event was marked with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement and launching of the GTFS policy today in Buka.
A team from the National Department of Education led by their Minister Hon. Jimmy Uguro, Secretary Dr Uke Kombra and other senior members flew in to Buka yesterday to officiate at this event.
ABG Minister for Education and Member for Ioro, Hon Theonila Roka Matbob, in her address today, explained that the transfer of the GTFS functions now means that the ABG through its Department of Education will be managing the disbursement of tuition fees to government schools in the region.
“One of the advantages for the transfer is that it brings policy closer to home. This means that ABG as the government of the day in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville will be able to effectively and closely monitor the schools and comply with ABG Public Finance Management Act in acquitting the funds.
“It will also ensure that the school principles that do not comply with the Act, as well as the Teaching Service Act, are dealt with under those laws,” she said.
Minister Matbob gave her assurance to the National Team that the disbursement of the tuition fee funds to schools in Bougainville will be done under the principles of good governance, transparency and accountability, and that a separate Trust Account will be created to manage the disbursement of these funds going forward.
Minister Matbob acknowledged other powers under the Education sector that have already been transferred, however she also highlighted powers that are yet to be transferred to Bougainville such as curriculum development, teachers training and registration and national examinations.
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