Karamui teachers call for repatriation support

The teachers are urging responsible authorities to assist them home for the holiday period *(Image: Supplied)*

Five teachers serving at the extremely remote Karamui High School in the Salt Nomane Karamui District of Simbu Province are calling on authorities for urgent assistance to return home following the close of the 2025 academic year.

One of the affected teachers, Peter Emmanuel Siba, told NBC News that they are still awaiting payment of their Disadvantage School Allowances [DSA] and Boarding Duty Allowances [BDA], which are critical for their repatriation.

Emmanuel said the continued non-payment has made it difficult for teachers to travel home with their families for the holiday break.

Karamui High School has no road access and relies entirely on air transport. As a result, it is classified as an extremely remote school, with teachers entitled to K6,000 in Disadvantage School Allowances and K1,600 in Boarding Duty Allowances.

The high school is isolated from road transport, making travel difficult for teachers (Image: Supplied)

However, Mr. Emmanuel revealed that they had only received K3,600 last year, while the remaining balance from 2024 and the full entitlement for 2025 are still outstanding.

He said teachers have been informed the payments are expected in the first fortnight of 2026, a delay he says would affect their repatriation.

The situation has been worsened by significant funding cuts, with the school reportedly receiving only K4,200 for its fourth-quarter allocation, making it impossible to cover teacher repatriation costs.

Some of the affected teachers, still awaiting their entitled allowances to go home and spend time with their familes (Image: Supplied)

The affected teachers are now appealing to the Simbu Provincial Education Division, the National Department of Education, and the Teaching Service Commission to urgently address the issue.

They are also calling on the Member for Salt Nomane Karamui, Francis Yori Alua, and the District Development Authority [DDA] to assist by arranging a chartered flight to repatriate teachers and their families during the festive season.

The five teachers are reportedly from Simbu province with two from Salt LLG and three from other districts.