Incompetent Education Officials Running Passam National High School Down! (A bid to expose corrupt and incompetent education officials and set things right for PNHS and East Sepik Education System.) Passam National High School has probably been branded as one of the worst schools in Papua New Guinea. Many students from Papua New Guinea remember the schools horrendous tales of how a systematic cult had reared its head in many forms from tribal and ethnic clashes, to uncontrollable regional fights that has sent many students packing home without completing their studies. Indeed, the last decade has probably been the worst with the burning down of the Administration block in 2011 fuelled by both students and disgruntled teachers. Various Principals from all over Papua New Guinea had been put in to take charge of the school only to be replaced again and again because they simply could not handle the pressure or fix the problems. It was then in 2011 that the National Education Board decided to send one of their most dedicated and longest serving teachers in the National High School system to see if she could solve the problem. Mrs. T Dingu who is widely known by students whom she’s taught at Aiyura National High School in the years she taught there was sent as the first female to try and solve those problems. Mrs T. Dingu is somewhat of a pioneer in her own rights being one of the first female nationals to teach in a National High School having completed her four years Bachelors Degree in Language and Literature at UPNG when the Teaching Campus was still there from 1975 – 1978 and then started teaching English at Kainantu National High School from 1979 – 1981 after which she moved to Aiyura National High School (A.N.H.S) in 1982 to teach Language and Literature (L&L) where she would serve for the next 26 years of her life. Gaining a government scholarship in 1985 she then went on to do a Post-Graduate in teaching English as a second language at UPNG however remained in A.N.H.S. to continue teaching L&L there where she eventually became the Head of L&L Department in 1989 and continued to serve there in that position until 2000 when she became the Deputy Principal and went on to become the Principal of ANHS in 2001.She continued to serve as the principal for another 5 years and moved down to Wawin National High School in Morobe Province in 2007 where she served until 2011 when she was called to head one of the most problematic schools in Papua New Guinea, Passam National High School! Of course it was no easy task, going back to a male dominated society to lead one of the major institutions in that East Sepik Province. Placing her strength in God Almighty and without a doubt in mind she set out to try to fix Passam National High School. It was not an easy task to begin with; the first thing she did was change the old board of governors of that school because they had obviously presided on the same matters over many years without a solution at hand. Of course this did bring about some repercussions although nothing that could not be handled. The next step was to maintain the school strategically targeting impact projects. You would not believe me if I told you that a National High School had been using pit toilets for the previous 2 years but Passam National High School was actually doing that. The schools pumps were soon restored for both sewerage and water and soon water started flowing again through the school once again. And a new ablution block built. It seemed the students and teachers were once again happy, school was beginning to get become normal once again however darkness was looming as a ‘dare’ that had been passed through generations of students had not been fulfilled. But before this could be done a test was carried out. A student who had previously withdrawn from school due to previous fights tried to re-enrol. The answer given to him was not negative but to wait until they had cleared all the students whom they had selected for that year. Well obviously that juvenile could not wait, one Saturday afternoon, armed with two tramontana bush knives he attacked Mrs. Dingu. One would of had thought that Mrs. Dingu would have been slashed to pieces but even today Mrs. Dingu attributes her safety to God Almighty whom she so strongly places her trust in. Well the test was complete which then paved the way for the “dare” to take place. Systematic cult groups rose up to do this ordeal. The dare was passed on since 2008 long before Mrs Dingu came into the school which basically was which student group would be the first to burn to ground the Administration building and even the whole school at that. Teachers who also being part of the cult groups becoming either ‘godfathers’ or ‘godmothers’ also encouraged the students on. Unreal as it may sound the group intoxicated by home-brew and marijuana and armed with knives and wire catapults set out to execute this dare. Honest students came up to Mrs Dingu’s residence to warn her. She set out to stop the students but in fear of her own life she refrained and went down to Wewak to hopefully bring Police up at 10 PM in the night. Having been a fateful Friday night, most policemen were out drunk or with their families and although they promised her that they would come up to save the school, none did. The school Administration also set out to even get help from the Defence Force but even they said that they could not assist. Well the Administration Building and Rations Building were soon raised to the ground some time after mid-night. A number of students armed with wire-catapults all the while protecting their executioner who would bring petrol and burn the buildings to the ground. It was a sad very sad night for Passam National High School. Well I could go on and on with all the stories but to cut a long story short, the Education Department wanted to close the school down forever. Mrs. Dingu along with the Board Chairman and other Administrators of the school flew into Port Moresby and pled with the Secretary to leave the school open so that they could at least graduate the remaining grade 12(s) while repatriating all the other grade 11’s to other schools. The Secretary obliged to their plea and allowed them to graduate the Grade 12’s there while of which some went on to universities throughout PNG. The following year 2012, the school was closed down and Mrs Dingu, her deputies and Board of Governors were tasked to re-build Passam National High School. If you go up today you will notice the major changes that have taken place. A new fence, new ablution blocks, a new administration building, new roads right around the campus removing all the old forests that used to once house cult groups. Mrs. Dingu as the head of the school, along with her administrator’s have vowed that they wanted to see a new Passam, with God’s help they would build a new school that would eradicate all the old problems the school had faced many years and had also contributed to the downgrade of the education system even in East Sepik Province itself. Hence with the work done, one would think that they were allocated K20 million such as Kerevat NHS and Sogeri NHS, but Passam NHS only received K5 million because the other K5 million was used to resolved outstanding landowner issues. With the little that they did receive, they decided to formulate a new approach. Rather than getting contractors who would be profit driven, they utilized the provinces works department. The works department provided skilled labour and the school bought materials for the new buildings to be built. The school provided only camping allowance and paid for additional workmen. I do not wish to say anything more than it is but Passam National High School has truly been transformed. The school looks new and looks like a ‘national high school.’ Even Team Vision 2050 visited the school and wrote a very commendable report about the school and the work that was carried out. One would have thought the education officials in Waigani would have been pleased with Mrs. Dingu’s efforts but not at all. They decided that they would slap her in the face and put someone else in charge of the school. To make matters worse, they decided not to bring a principal from a National High School based on merits but they decided to bring a problematic principal from the province who had caused problems before even in Passam National High School itself, Brandi Secondary and who had even contributed to the closure of Maprik Secondary school for 3 months last year. Well Brandi did not want Mr. Raymond Bakavi, Maprik did not want Mr. Bakavi but it seemed that the East Sepik Education Advisor, Mrs. Joyce Tepu the Super-Intendant for National High Schools and the Divisional Head Mr. Ouka Lavaki saw fit that they should replace Mrs. Dingu and her current administration who had committed tremendous effort in changing the school with a problematic headmaster. They even went against the Board of Governors resolution which should be complied with as stipulated by the Teaching Services Commission Act. Mrs Dingu supplied and provided all necessary acquittals, all necessary reports but the above education officials saw fit that they should remove her. Their reason, Mrs. Dingu has not prepared the school for opening this year. One has to wonder what more work they would want. They have a new Administration Building, classrooms have been renovated, dormitories have been renovated, the school has a new picket fence, new roads and a new quadrangle on its way to be built. When Mrs. Dingu came down to Port Moresby last year to request for more funding so that they could do the finishing touches for their normal school fund, the education official’s simply replied that because of ‘policy’ they could not give her money. Mr Lavaki and another Education Official visited the school many times over the last two years but never said a word or gave a report. They simply nodded their heads and went off back to Port Moresby. Well Mrs. Dingu does not want to see her hard work being wasted, nor the dreams that they have for the school and education system in East Sepik being wasted, that is the reason she has written a letter to the education officials and education secretary but it seems they all have simply turned a blind eye. I as her son, Nathan Dingu, have witnessed first hand the work that has been carried out and seeing the positive that the progress they have brought about has encouraged me but I am quite dismayed with the Education Officials and downright education system in East Sepik Province which has deteriorated over many years, and for once positive change has been brought about only to be torn down once again by people in Port Moresby who sit in offices and who have never been administrators of schools themselves. Well I offer this as a bid to expose incompetence’s within the education department and to fight for my mother who deserves better.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 00:37:03 +0000
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