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Nawaeb High shut down
By PETER KORUGL
OVER 400 students were sent home and a
widow and her six children left homeless following a fight last weekend
between students and the community around the Nawaeb High School in
Morobe province.
Education authorities yesterday confirmed suspending classes at the
school for an indefinite period and sending the students home under
police escort following the fight last Sunday and Monday.
“The school will remain closed until the conflict between the students
and the community was amicably,” senior professional assistant Joe
Solulu told The National after meeting the students, staff and the
community allegedly involved in the fight.
The Morobe provincial government established the Nawaeb High School in
2003. It presently has a teaching staff of 11 catering for the
educational needs of 407 students in Grades 7 to 10.
The Grade 10 students were to sit for their final examination on next
week and were scheduled to rehearse for the exams tomorrow.
Mr Solulu said Grade 10 students will have to front up at the Education
office in Lae on Thursday to be escorted by Police back to the school to
do their mock exams.
Police moved into the school last Monday after fighting flared again
between the students and the community and were forced to camp on the
school grounds to monitor the situation.
Mr Solulu cited community leaders as saying the conflict developed when
students fought with a young man from the nearby village who was under
the influence of liquor last Sunday.
They said on Monday, community leaders got together and tried to resolve
the problem when the students attacked the leaders, resulting in a
village court magistrate receiving wounds to his head, back and
shoulder.
During the fight, louver blades from the science laboratory and the home
economics building were smashed.
The students raided the homes of the villagers, destroyed the gardens
and set fire to the house belonging to a widow and her six children,
community leader Yamai Asepis said.
Mr Solulu said quick action by the education authorities and police
prevented further destruction and brought the situation under control,
however tension was still very high.
At a peace meeting yesterday, the community presented a petition to Mr
Solulu, claiming K85,400 as compensation for damages and sufferings
incurred on the community by the students.
Mr Asepis said this was not the first time such an incident had happened
as the community had suffered at the hands of the students over the last
four years.
“They beat up the people here, threatened them and stole from their
gardens. If this school is going to bring us problems all the time, it
might as well close up and move elsewhere,” Mr Asepis said.
He claimed that the problems were caused by students who came to the
school after being expelled from their former schools for inciting
similar rowdy behaviour and violence.
 
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