Teachers To Get P.n.g. Jobs Back? (Press, 21 October 1981)
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Summary: Teachers To Get P.n.g. Jobs Back? (Press, 21 October 1981)
On 21 October 1981, it was reported that a British teaching couple, John and Elizabeth Mendzela, who had been dismissed by the Papua New Guinea Education Department due to their allegations of maladministration against a group of homosexual officials in the department, might be reinstated following an inquiry by the Ombudsman Commission. The couple had raised concerns about the conduct of one inspector, believed to be homosexual, who allegedly questioned students privately regarding their teachers' performance. This conduct was part of the processes used to evaluate contract renewals for teachers. Their allegations led to significant unrest at Keravat National High School, where a riot involving the majority of the 420 fifth and sixth-form students occurred last month in support of the Mendzelas. In the aftermath of the conflict, the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Iambakey Okuk, indicated he would propose to the Cabinet to drop charges against students who had participated in the riot, described as unlawful assembly. The Secretary for Education, Mr. Paul Songo, stated that he had received a thorough briefing from the Chief Ombudsman and acknowledged the recommendations of the Ombudsman Commission report, which advised against the Mendzelas' dismissal. Songo expressed support for the Ombudsman’s findings, leading to a proposal for the Public Services Commission to offer the Mendzelas one-year contracts to begin at the start of the 1982 school year. The full details of the Ombudsman Commission's report had not yet been made public, but it was clear that the Mendzelas, along with their New Zealand colleague Marek Koscjeclecki who had already returned to New Zealand, had formally raised issues regarding the ethics of the education inspectorate's procedures. Their claims suggested that there was an inappropriate grouping of homosexual officials within the Education Department’s administration in Port Moresby, which they felt compromised the integrity of the inspection processes.
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