BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
GUADALCANAL’S Education Authority (GPEA) stands their ground on the deployment of teachers from Manddela School because of continuous non-cooperation with its owner.
This is according to the Chief Education Officer (CEO) for GPGEA Mr Maesac Suia in an interview with Island Sun yesterday.
Manddela Inclusive (Extension) Primary School is now eight weeks out of classes since the beginning of Semester 2. The reason for such had come about from management disagreements raised between the school owner Mrs Linda Ago’okah and the schools Head Teacher during the first Semester of this year, 2017.
Mr Suia said teachers deployed are to be reposted to other schools under the Guadalcanal Educational Authority and not directly to Lunga Primary School as being claimed by rumours stating it is now being overstaffed because of the recent deployments.
“We really want to support Manddela School because Lunga PS cannot support the growing population of its surrounding community. But because of the situation that took place causing the school to not be inactive for nine weeks now makes the authority being fed-up of such resulting in the course taken,” said the CEO.
“We do not want the school to be closed so this is why one of the recent resolutions we presented to the school is for its management to pursue registering the school as a private one in which GPEA will support them on it.”
“In taking this step will make her control the schools management in the way she wants things to be.”
“As we sympathise with the school children being victimised over this situation, we are encouraging them to enrol at Lunga PS for the meantime.”
Manddela School owner/parent Mrs Linda Pauka Ago’okah when speaking to Island Sun agrees on resolutions 3 and 4 being presented to her by the GPEA but calls on the authority to quickly help them solve their current situation as the school is now nine (9) weeks out of classes.
“Though GPEA has encouraged students to enrol at Lunga PS, the reality is not more than 10 students have transferred. The 300-plus students enrolled at Manddela PS remain victimised from this situation as we still regard the school to be an extension of Lunga PS,” said Mrs Linda.
Despite of all the past misunderstanding and several personal verbal arguments between her and the Head Teacher, Mrs Linda said that she is willing in finding mutual resettlement for the protection of the children’s education.
The recent resolutions given to Manddela Primary School on the 1st of September were;
(i): The GP Education Division to recall all posted teachers to Manddela Primary School to the mother school (Lunga PS) with immediate effect.
(ii): Students of Manddela Primary school are welcome to enrol at Lunga PS whereby parents and children are to be informed by the Lunga mother school.
(iii): Manddela Primary school Management to pursue registering the school as a private school on which the GP education office will support Mrs Linda and the current School Board of Management to register the school as a private school and
(iv): Should GPEA deploy teachers in 2018 and beyond to Manddela inclusive, an MOU must be agreed and signed by the school management and GP education office.
