Puncak Jaya lacks of teachers

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: The Puncak Jaya regency has been in need of 400 teaching staff to be assigned in elementary schools, says local official.

"The local administration have financial problems to recruit 400 more teachers and pay them in order to help return school activities into normal in the regency," Puncak Jaya Regent Elieser Renmaur said here on Monday.

Hundreds of elementary school teachers in remote areas in the regency have gone back to their home villages outside the province because the antimigrant-people sentiment in the province in 1994.

The regent said so far, 24 elementary schools in the regency have yet to resume operation because of the absence of teaching staff while the remaining 44 others had only 175 teachers. --Antara