Real-time data app to relieve teachers

Teachers throughout the country will now be able to send real time data to their superiors where ever they are through an Application called, MyPNGSchool, which was launched at the state function room in Parliament.

The app will seek to relive the challenges Department of Education has been experiencing in the past years in terms of school data.

First Assistant Secretary, Curriculum and Standards, Dr. Titus Hatagen said many times provinces have been late in submitting data’s where some information had been inflated. He said the application will be accessible to teachers’ right in the rural areas where information will be uploaded and cross checked by inspectors before submitting it through to the department. 

“The process involves four steps where firstly an SMS will be sent to teacher’s phones signaling them of data to be sent. Head teachers will fill in data on formatted templates that will be displayed in the phone. After that head teachers will send the data to school inspectors where they will check data and either approve and disapprove or reject the data for recheck. If data is approved in goes onto the TFF coordinator and then to the pea and to the department where we make a final check and entered into the main system,” he said. 

The data entered will be simple information such as number of classes in a grade, number of teachers, number of students and other basic relevant information the department for many years have not been able to identify.

Education Minister, Nick Kuman said the government this term as part of Alotau Accord II will be focusing on quality education and this app is part of the plan.

Mr Kuman urged members of the parliament to make it their business to download the app on Google Play Store where they can be fed real-time data on the details of schools in their provinces to improve quality in schools.

“At the beginning and at the end of the term, we will be able to see the number of teachers in school and the number of students at the start of the term and likewise at the end of the term,” said Kuman.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said it is important that every child is given the right to education but they must also be able to get quality education.

“While the economy is growing, it is not growing fast enough to meet the population growth and that is why we always do catsups as at times but we have to stay focus on our goals and work together. We need the right data to make the right decisions to give our children the quality education they deserve," he said.