News and Public Notices

Mr Speaker, It is indeed my duty to present to the House of Representatives the Summary of the 2023 Annual Report of my Ministry from January to December 2023.

Mr Speaker, at the strategic Level, the Bougainville Education Act 2013 underpins the Bougainville Education System (BES). The Bougainville Education Plan 2020-2029 and the Bougainville Independence Readiness Plan 2021-2025 are the roadmaps that have guided my Ministry and the Department to implement our priorities to achieve our organizational goals and objectives.

Mr Speaker, as per the 2023 schedule of the education calendar, my Office has ensured that the overall progression of the administrative key priorities within my Ministry and Department were implemented as planned.

Mr Speaker, this Ministerial Statement will give this House an overview of the Grade 12 selections to tertiary institutions in 2023 for 2024. Additionally, it will provide an overview of the fields of study that students were assisted in under the ABG School Fee Assistance Program in 2023. Mr Speaker, the Education Budget performance in 2023 against our plans and priorities will also be provided in this Ministerial Statement. The Challenges of the Ministry and Department as well as the 2024 Priorities will also be outlined.

Selections to Tertiary Institutions:  Mr Speaker, the Grades Nine and Eleven Selections were already presented in the 2023 December Ministerial Statement. I will therefore just report on the Grade 12 Selections to Tertiary Institutions.

Mr Speaker, as per a directive given by the President Hon. Ishmael Toroama in 2021 which called for improved results in Grade 12, the ABG has followed this with funding ofK100,000.00 allocated in last year’s development budget. Thus, the Grade 12 Academic Improvement Program is an intervention to implement the President’s directive to support Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools for improved Grade 12 results.

Mr Speaker, in 2023, a total of 669 Grade 12 students in the Region sat the Grade 12 National Examinations. Of this number, 200 of the students were selected to continue on to Tertiary Institutions.

Mr Speaker, of the 200 students who were selected to go to Tertiary Institutions, the highest number of students were selected from Tonu Secondary School (41 students). St Mary’s Asitavi Secondary School sent the second highest number of 40 students followed by Hutjena Secondary School with 39 students, then Arawa Secondary School with 36 students followed by Buin Secondary School with 24 students. Only 17 students were selected from Bishop Wade Secondary School while Runa Secondary School which is a Private and Permitted School, was able to send only 3 students.

Mr Speaker, from the 200 students selected to tertiary institutions, 127 of them were females and 73 were male students. Our female students continue to do better than male students in our secondary institutions.

Mr Speaker, the improved performance of our Grade 12students last year clearly reflects the amount of commitment to education by the ABG, the Ministry and Department of Education, Church Agencies as our main partners, school boards, parents and citizens, teachers, students, and other relevant stakeholders.

ABG School Fee Assistance Scheme: Mr Speaker, the School Fee Assistance Scheme which is a  Policy intervention and priority of the Toroama-Nisira Government was in its third year of implementation last year. Mr Speaker, the school fee assistance provided to our students in various institutions in the country is an investment by the ABG in the human resource development of the Region. The benefits of this long term investment will be realized ten years from now.

Mr Speaker, the information on the amount spent by the ABG on School fee assistance, the students assisted by institutions and the amount of assistance per student was already presented in the 2023 December Ministerial Statement.

Mr Speaker, it is important that the ABG knows the type of professions that students are being trained for to have a projection of the type of human resourcecs of Bougainville in our preparation for independence. Mr Speaker, I will therefore report on the different fields of study that students were supported in by the ABG in various tertiary institutions throughout the country and Region last year.

Mr Speaker, a total of 2,249 students were assisted by the Scheme in 2023. Of this number, 190 were university students. In identifying the different common professions or fields that university students were undergoing training in, the following is the data: 3 students will be Lawyers, 2 will be economists, 42 will be Accountants, 2 will be Doctors, 3 will be Journalists, 11 will be Social Workers, 1 will be a Political Scientist, 3 will be psychologists, 6 will be Civil Engineers, 1 will be a mining engineer, 2 will be mechanical engineers, 12 will be electrical engineers,13 will be Architects,7 will be Aviation Engineers, none will be Pilots, 4 will be surveyors, and 27 will be Agriculture specialists/Scientists.

Mr Speaker, in terms of Technical Education Training, we need tradesmen. Therefore, 9 students were taking Plumbing, 19 taking Mechanical/Auto electrical, 17 were taking Carpentry/Building, 8 were taking Heavy Fitter Machine,12 were taking Tourism & Hospitality, and 335 taking trade courses such as carpentry, plumbing, welding, mechanical.

Mr Speaker, additionally, the ABG is expecting an output of 123 teachers, 132 Nurses, 48 ICT specialists and 53 Business specialists amongst the most common professions.

Mr Speaker, the above are the most common fields that students being assisted under the Bougainville School Fees Assistance Scheme were pursuing. There are many other less common fields that could not be all named.

Mr Speaker, on this note, I would like to take this time to thank the Autonomous Bougainville Government for the funding support of K3million appropriated for the 2023 School Fee Assistance program which assisted 2,249 of our students across 77 institutions throughout the country including schools in the Region.

2023 Education Budget Performance: Mr Speaker, the Budget Performance for the Department against the Plans is reported below under the Department Recurrent Budget, Development Budget, Teachers Personnel Emoluments and the Teachers Leave Fares.

Department Recurrent Budget

Mr Speaker, this year, the amount appropriated for the Department Recurrent Budget was K1,525,000 in total. Of that amount, K500,000 was allocated to the Office of the Secretary, K100,000 each to the Directorates of Policy & Planning and Teaching & Learning, K100,000 to the Bougainville Education Board, K500,000 in school Grants to Callan Services, Flexible Open & Distance Education (FODE), UPNG Buka Open Campus and Bougainville Technical College, and K325,000 to the 13 District Education Offices (K25,000 per District education administration).

Mr Speaker, in terms of expenditure, K471,021.90 of the K500,000 allocation was expended by the Office of the Secretary, K99,523.90 of the K100,000 allocated was expended by the Bougainville Education Board, K86,293.23 out of K100,000 was expended by the Directorate of Policy & Planning, K100,000 allocation was fully expended by the Directorate of Teaching and Learning, K325, 000 for all 13 District Education Officers was fully expended.

Mr Speaker, in terms of the Unconditional Grants to our public authorities, Callan Services were paid their full K100,000, while the Bougainville Technical College was paid their full grant of K100, 000. The FODE Grant paid was K71,000. The remaining K29,000 will be paid to them when the accounts are open. The UPNG Buka Open Campus Grant paid was K75,000. The remaining K25,00 will be paid to them this year.

Development Budget

Mr Speaker, the total appropriation for the Education Development Budget in 2023 was K5,850,000. Of that amount, K200,000 was allocated to the School of Excellence (Tonu), K100,000 was allocated to Early Childhood Education, K100,000 for the Aropa Junior High School Feasibility study, K100,000 was allocated for the Grade 12 Academic Improvement Program.

Additionally Mr Speaker, K500,000 was allocated to the UPNG Buka Open Campus Capacity Building Program, K50,000 was allocated to DHERST, K3m to the ABG School Fees Assistance Program, K300,000 was allocated for the Bougainville Schools Examination Program, K300,000 for Education Policy and Legislation, K100,000 for TSC Support, another K100,000 allocated for Inspections support, and K1m allocation to the Toroama Agriculture & Livestock Specialized Training Centre.

Mr Speaker, due to the late release of the development funding last year, much of the development funding is still available to be used this year except for funding for the School Examinations, Inspectors’ support and Toroama Agriculture and Livestock Specialized Training Centre (K95,000 remaining).

Mr Speaker, the Bougainville Teachers College continues to be the Department’s High Impact Project. The Project was in its Design Phase as of December 2023. The Contract for the Design of the Teachers College was awarded to Peddle Thorpe for a total of K2.9m. The K15m that is avaiable from the Prime Minister’s Commitment will be used for the next development phase of the Project, which will be to build utilities (road, power, water supply) prior to the actual construction phase.

Teachers Personnel Emoluments

Mr Speaker, the proposed Teachers’ Personnel Emoluments (PE) for 2023 was K98.7 million for the 3,511 fully funded positions against an establishment of 3,580 positions. However, an estimated budget of K88.8 million was submitted for the staff strength of 3, 005 teachers, with K21,504,300 budgeted for 1,516 Elementary teachers, K54, 372,719 for 1,710 Primary teachers, K10,852,322 for 288 High/Secondary teachers and K2,075,059 for 68 Vocational Teachers. The actual amount appropriated for salaries and allowances in 2023 was K86,000.000.

Mr Speakerr, in 2024, the total cost for teachers’ Salaries and Allowances will be K113 million. This increase in teachers’ salaries and allowances was reflected in the Budget Bid in September last year however, the estimated Budget does not include any of the teachers’ outstanding salaries (liabilities) for the past years.

Teachers Leave Fares

Mr Speaker, Bougainville continues to do well in terms of the issuance of teachers leave fares annually. Last year, teachers were able to receive their leave fares prior to the close of the school year.

Mr Speaker, the amount appropriated for Teachers Leave Fares in 2023 was K8,752 000. Of that appropriated amount, a total of K4,016,403.40 was used on a total of 438 teachers.

Mr Speaker, of the 438 teachers who received leave fares in 2023, 183 teachers were non-Bougainvilleans who received a total of K3,298,503.40 in leave fares which included sectoral fares. Mr Speaker, a total of 255 Bougainvillean teachers received K717,900.00 in local leave fares.

Mr Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the ABG for ensuring that our teachers are well-taken care of in terms of their leave fares annually, and 2023 was no exception.

Government Tuition Fee Subsidy: Mr Speaker, the Government Tuition Fee Subsidy (GTFS) is the National Government’s intervention Policy that addresses access, retention and affordability. The components that are included in the GTFS are: Administration, Curriculum and Infrastructure.

Mr Speaker, in 2023, the National Government paid a total of K24,277,439.63  in GTFS to 626 of our schools in the Region. Of that amount, K2,785,363.16 was paid to Elementary Schools, K11,304,100.63 was paid to Primary Schools, K9,143,989.84  to Secondary Schools and K1,043,986.00  to Vocational Schools.

Mr Speaker, 90 of our schools missed out on GTFS payments last year but have since been paid their GTFS in February this year.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the National Government for the continued support in paying tuition fees to our schools in the Region since 2012.

Challenges: Mr Speaker, providing education service delivery comes with its challenges. The major challenges encountered by the Department last year were: Manpower Capacity  issues and Insufficient Funding

Manpower Capacity issues

Mr Speaker, the Department continues to face manpower capacity issues. Our Salary Section has only five staff against a teacher staff strength of 3,580. This equates to a ratio of 1:700 which is why most of the queries that teachers come with to the Department are salary-related.  When the Department restructures, more salaries staff will need to be recruited.

Mr Speaker, another area that is incapacitated is the Inspections Division. With only six inspectors looking after 716 schools and 3,580 teachers, the high ratio  has really affected inspections, providing advisory and supervisory services to teachers, consistent monitoring and teachers discipline.

Mr Speaker, if some inspectors positions are put on our Department Structure, that will help to cushion the problem.

Insufficient Funding

Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the ABG for supporting the Education Ministry and Department through the Recurrent & Development Budgets, Teachers Personnel Emoluments (PE) and Teachers Leave Fares.

However Mr Speaker, let me remind us all that education is an expensive public good as it is an investment in our human resources. As such, more funding needs to be appropriated to the Education Department annually in order for the Policies, Plans, Programs and Projects to be fully implemented and monitored.

Mr Speaker, two of the Programs that have not been conducted for some years now are: Induction for New Graduates & Senior teachers, and the District Outreach Program by the Headquarters staff. Funding under the Office of the Secretary has decreased in the last five years, resulting in the above two programs not being carried out. Without scheduleddistrict and school visits/monitoring by headquaters staff, teacher absenteeism has escalated.

Mr Speaker, despite the challenges faced by my Ministry, the Department and the schools this year, the Department Plans, Policies and Legislations that are in place have continued to provide strategic direction and guidance towards improving the provision of education service delivery in the Region. We are optimistic that we have aligned all our efforts to the Government’s Six-Point Strategy and expectations. We are grateful for the achievements and challenges we had encountered last year. And most importantly, preparing my Ministry and Department to be independence ready.

Way Forward: Mr Speaker, in looking ahead, my Ministry and Department’s Strategic Priorities in 2024 will be:

1. Bougainville Education Corporate Plan 2023-2027

2. Review of Bougainville Education Act 2013

3. Bougainville Teaching Service Bill

4. Review of current education system

5. Early Childhood Education Policy

6. Compulsory Education Policy

7. Schools Self Reliance Policy

8. Bougainville School Fee Assistance Scheme

9. Grade 12 Academic Improvement Program

10. Signing of MoU with DHERST

11. Teachers Salary Fixation Agreement (Elevations)

12. Bougainville Teachers College

13. Bougainville Polytechnic Institute

14. Toroama Agriculture & Livestock Specialized Training Centre

15. High School establishment (Aropa, Torokina, Kunua, Siwai, Panguna, Wissai, Peit & Tonsu Junior High Schools)

16. Bougainville School of Excellence

17. Bougainville University Concept

18. Secondary Schools Infrastructure Rehabilitation & Expansion Program

Conclusion: Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Education has specific plans and policies to pursue educational growth to the next level and to do so we need financial support from ABG and co-operation from our National Members as well as the development partners and parents. 

Mr Speaker, let me thank the teachers, the Boards of Management, the Education Department Staff, the District based Education officers for their commitment and hard work last year in ensuring the provision of education service delivery throughout the region.

Mr Speaker, I would also like to thank all the Members of the House of Representatives for your continuous support to the education sector, whether it is in funding infrastructure in schools, assisting students with school fees, purchasing equipment for schools. 

Mr Speaker, I must also say thank you to our Members of Parliament at the National Level for their support to the ABG education sector through the Government Tuition Fee Subsidy and Development Projects. It is my greatest hope that the working relationship will be further strengthened with the same vision and mission in empowering our people in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. 

In this regard Mr Speaker, I encourage us all as leaders mandated by our people to work together giving equal prominence to all sectors but at the same time being conscious of what can be achieved when we empower our people through education and training.

Thank you Mr Speaker and Honourable Members of the House.

HON. THOMAS PATAAKU, MHR
MINISTER FOR EDUCATION 
Member for Ramu Constituency 

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