Crooks in the Education Department, your days of scamming helpless bush teachers of their pay, are numbered.
This was the angry response from Education Secretary Dr Uke Kombra and Teaching Service Commission Chairman Samson Wangihomie after our front page expose on a female teacher in East Sepik, who has been teaching for the past 3 years without pay, because scammers in the education department keep demanding money from her to process her paperwork to be on the government payroll.
The story of 29-year-old old Nellie Kusari touched the raw nerve of Dr Kombra and Mr Wangihomie, who have both agreed to investigate all the workers in the education department who are suspected of participating in the scam.
I want the names of the crooked officers who are doing this!
This poor teacher was demanded some form of payment for paperwork by TSC and Education Department officers.
As per the transaction provided on Tuesday, K1000 was transferred to the account of a TSC staff. Ms Kusari has provided us the name of the person.
The following day the corrupt public servant demanded a further K4000. Meanwhile the Education Department’s staff collected K300 from the teacher last month.
TSC Chairman, Mr Samson Wangihomie, after reading the story by the Post Courier.
A furious Education Secretary Dr Uke Kombra also made immediate contact with Post-Courier requesting documents provided to Post-Courier by Ms Kusari.
We do not tolerate crooked behavior in the Education Department.
Kombra
He gave his assurance that officers in the department involved in this unscrupulous dealings by collecting money from teachers will be dealt with.
Ms Kusari is a Science and Mathematics teacher in East Sepik who has not been paid since 2021.
This year alone she had spent almost K3000 paying crooked officials demanding payments as conditions to help put her on payroll.
She is from Okapa in Eastern Highlands Province and graduated from University of Goroka in 2021.