Dr. Kombra appreciates third-term reinstatement and announces exit plan

Dr. Uke Kombra, the Secretary of the Department of Education has received reinstatement for another four years, marking his third term in the role.

He took the oath of office this morning at Government House before His Excellency, Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae.

After the ceremony, Dr. Kombra expressed his gratitude to the Marape-Rosso government for their continued trust in him.

“I’d like to thank, at the outset, God for giving me this blessing, and for bestowing it upon me, my family, and everyone. Secondly, I want to thank the Marape government, all staff of the Department of Education, and the Ministry, who have been very supportive in ensuring we deliver education services to our people,” Dr. Kombra said.

He confirmed that this term will be his final one before retiring from public service.

“This is my final term, and I plan to exit by the end of this term, probably after four years, or maybe earlier if necessary. But my intention is to retire at the end of my third term in office,” he stated.

Dr. Kombra also outlined his goals for this term, emphasizing his commitment to completing several ongoing reforms.

“We will complete some of the reforms we’ve undertaken over the past ten years and explore new changes to improve education and ensure better service delivery to all our people.

“Above all, we need to reform our teacher training, professional development, and improve the terms and conditions for educators,” he said.

Before his departure, Dr. Kombra intends to implement a succession plan for the department.

“We have engaged an HR company that began this week to systematically and properly develop a succession plan for our department. This way, when I leave, there will be strong leadership in place to continue running the organization,” he added.