BAROWAI Community School students in Kagua-Erave, Southern Highlands, sit on an earth floor to listen to a single teacher who teaches prep to Grade Five. Deputy head teacher and sole teacher Robert Simon said the majority of his pupils sat on the floor while a few lucky ones sat on wooden forms made by their parents. This is the case with many rural schools in Papua New Guinea, but as in Barowai Community School, the desire to learn sees students endure such hardships. “Due to there being no teacher, I teach prep and grade one in a combined class, grades two and three in another class, and fours and fives in another class and I do that in shifts,” Simon said. “Managing 132 students in a day is not an easy task but I give my best to all of them. “There were six teachers and a headmaster who filled forms to resume duties but due to the school’s remote location, they decided not to come.”
Simon said from Erave station, it was a 16-hour walk to Tiapila village and then another half day’s walk to Kerabi before a tracking another full day to reach the school. “I have many small children and they cannot walk long distances so we usually sleep three nights on our way before reaching the school. “The school is located in rugged mountainous terrain and is only accessible by foot. “We climb the steep Sirigi, Kerabi and Tiri mountains before crossing two rivers to arrive here,” he said. Simon and his wife helps to carry their children at times because of the long distance and the track also has its own dangers with leeches clinging to their feet. He said Erave station was the last point that people could reach by road from the provincial capital, Mendi, with local carriers hired with K50 to K100 to carry equipment and materials for the school. “Our most needed basic supplies are cooking oil, soap and salt and we usually take enough to last until the term holidays. Students help to supply garden produce to sustain us when our food supplies run out,” he said. Simon said the area was also out of mobile phone network access and they had to walk for up to four hours to Ialibu station to get in range. The school serves Barowai, Tiri and Waragu wards as most schools are run-down, the school plans to take grade six next year. The people appealed to Kagua-Erave MP Maina Pano to help address their daily struggles. TheNational / PNG Education News Also Comments are closed.
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