Elizabeth Tandoa, the headmistress of Gerehu Secondary School in Port Moresby, has stated that she will not tolerate any bribery in the registration of students for the 2025 academic year. She emphasized that the school will strictly follow established procedures to ensure transparency and accountability while providing a high standard of quality education for the students. Ms. Tandoa directed this message to the parents and guardians of the Grade Eight and Ten students who last attended Gerehu Secondary and scored low grades and are not selected to continue to Grade nine and eleven. She urged them to consider enrolling their children in Flexible, Open, and Distance Education (FODE) schools to help upgrade their failed courses. She strongly discouraged bribery, commonly known as "backdoor dealings," where parents and guardians offer cash to school staff to secure a place for their children. “As long as I’m at the school, I won’t allow this practice," she stressed. "When we talk about quality education, our actions should also reflect that. I want to appeal to the parents and guardians whose children have not performed well. Please do not resort to paying for their placement or bribing teachers or any staff at the school to secure a spot for your child. The right thing to do is to take your child to FODE and register them, as they offer the same courses that regular schools provide." “We also have the Directorate of Open & Distance Learning (DODL) at Gerehu Secondary where you can register. After registering at DODL or FODE, if the upgraded marks are good, students can request admission back to Grades 9 and 11 after upgrading." She further stressed that it is encouraging for administrators to support students who did not do well in Grade 10 but have taken initiative to upgrade their marks. Such students should be given priority and opportunities. “However, using money to secure a place in Grade 11 is not the right approach. I want to appeal to parents and guardians once again: please do not come to the school with money looking for spaces. If I receive any reports of such behavior, I will not hesitate to report them to the highest authority and have them charged. “We want Gerehu to change, and we strive to improve its reputation. Last year, we began this journey, with students and teachers working together to enhance the image of Gerehu Secondary. "We will continue to raise the bar in terms of academic results. If other schools can achieve success, so can Gerehu; it just requires strong leadership, commitment, and sacrifice from teachers,” she concluded.