Teachers in Rabaul District, East New Britain Province have recently completed a Training of Trainers (TOT) on the Roles and Responsibilities of school Board of Management (BOM).
This training was aimed at outlining the differences in the functions of school boards and the administration and improving the standards of schools in the district.
Attending the TOT were primary school head teachers and elementary school Teachers In-charge in the district.
These teachers were able to also take part in discussions and presentations on the roles and responsibilities of school board of Management.
Addressing the participants during the TOT opening on behalf of the District Administration was Deputy District Administrator- Operations John Vule who stressed on the importance of proper management of schools.
“This is an important training as it sets a clear differentiation between the functions or roles of BOM members and teachers. There should be effective communication and working relation between the two for proper management of resources and improved learning,” said Vule.
When going through the introduction and outline of the training, the District Education Coordinator Markus Tipepe said that the BOM is an important body, they are the custodians while head teachers and TIC’s are Administrators to the schools.
“The BOM must take an active role in decision making, planning, strategizing and providing advice to our schools development. There should be clear plans so we can work together in improving our schools,” said Tipepe.
Rabaul District Education Inspector Cecilia Tapil stated that the TOT will also equip teachers with the necessary skills and knowledge to develop Disaster Risk Management Plan, Behaviour Management Policy and Psycho-socio support which can be incorporated in their School Learning Improvement Program (SLIP).
The District Education Inspector further said that quality teaching means quality learning and participants can use the knowledge acquired in the training and impart them to their colleagues in their respective schools which can help better manage and run schools in the district.