By SHEILA LASIBORI
THE 2008 academic year for students in Oro province will start on Jan 28, the same as the rest of the country as the disaster and its effects will not be a reason to delay or postpone classes.
The Education Department had given its assurance to assist in establishing new schools by erecting makeshift classrooms and living facilities (for boarders) at some of the affected schools in the province, acting provincial education adviser Benstead Lovi said.
He said the main concern the Education Department needed to seriously consider with the visiting officers from Port Moresby was whether students were expected to attend first day of school on Jan 28 with school fees receipts or parents would be allowed to make payments later.
Mr Lovi and controller of the State of Emergency Col Vagi Oala were mindful of the fact that many people had lost almost everything including sources of cash income in the floods and would not be able to afford their children’s school fees receipts on the first day.
The destruction of bridges also reportedly prevented cash crops including oil palm and dry cocoa beans from being sold.
Deliberations are also needed to be made on whether portion of the school fees expected to be met by parents would increase to go towards rebuilding of some of the school facilities affected by the floods.
A team of officers from the Education Department head office in Port Moresby are in Popondetta to assess the situation on the schools and also meet with the provincial education office team.
Deputy Secretary for Teaching and Education Standards Damien Rapese will travel to Popondetta today to join the teams.
“We are going to assess the situation in terms of schools, teachers especially on how we are going to move the teachers,” he said yesterday.
Mr Lovi said after the assessments, his office might seek assistance from all levels of the Government for considerations on free education or some sort of subsidiary imposed.
He said that about
900 new Grade 9 intakes would enter the secondary school system this year and about 60% of
this would be accommodated at makeshift classrooms.
Mr Lovi said the idea was to prevent students from travelling long distances to get to school and to allow for them to remain closer to their homes and away from the traumatic thoughts and experiences of the floods which caused havoc since Nov 14.
The proposed makeshift arrangement was also expected to apply to Grade 10 students but most of them especially from the destroyed Bareji and Embogo High School would be transferred to Martyr’s and Popondetta Secondary Schools.
Mr Lovi said the same plan was being made for elementary and primary schools so that school year for Oro province starts as scheduled.
He added that any delay and postponement would affect the calendar especially of academic assessments.