Secretary for Education, Dr Uke Kombra, has called on education inspectors to act as the Department’s early-warning system to identify school bullying, student conflicts, violence and other risks to help protect students. 

 He made this call during the opening of the annual National Department of Education National Rating Conference which commenced on Monday at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby.

Dr Kombra urged inspectors to act as the Department’s early-warning system by identifying school management problems, student conflicts, bullying, violence and other risks that threaten student’s lives. 

“We cannot afford to wait until a student loses his or her life before we recognize that something is seriously wrong in a school,” he said.

Furthermore, Dr Uke Kombra said inspectors must integrate the National Teachers Standards and National School Leadership Standards into the Teacher Appraisal System to ensure fair, consistent and evidence-based assessments.

“Our inspection work must go beyond compliance. We must focus on the quality of teaching, effectiveness of school leadership, curriculum delivery, classroom practices and, most importantly, the learning outcomes and welfare of our children,” he said.

He further emphasized that teacher appraisal should support professional growth and identify areas where teachers and school leaders need further development.

Dr Kombra reminded conference participants to uphold professionalism, fairness and integrity when assessing teachers, as their ratings influence professional registration, promotion and career progression.

The national rating conference brings together senior school inspectors from across the National Education System, including Primary, Secondary, Flexible Open and Distance Education (FODE), Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Inclusive Education, as well as Provincial Education Advisors from across 22 Provinces. They will review school inspection reports and assess teacher performance to support professional standards, accountability, and improvements in education delivery.

For this year, a total of 10, 637 inspections reports will be assessed and rated. The week-long conference that will run from Monday November 9- 13 Friday.