By ANDREW ALPHONSE
THE efforts of resource developer Porgera Joint Venture (PJV) in assisting educational institutions in the Hela region of the Southern Highlands province have been highly commended and appreciated.
Tari district education adviser James Tapale and Komo-Margarima MP Francis Potape had commended highly PJV last Friday in Tari following the handing over ceremonies of two new double classrooms and a teacher’s house to three schools in Tari last Friday by PJV.
They said the people of Hela are thankful to the efforts of PJV through its Hides Transmission Lines (HTL) Tari office for restoring and upgrading basic infrastructure services to Hela and assistance to communities in the region.
The Walete and Walidege primary schools received a new double classroom built at a cost of K160,000 each while the Paijaka community school received a new teacher’s house estimated to be about K80,000.
The new buildings were constructed by workers from PJV’s Tari HTL project office through tax credit scheme.
Tari’s senior PJV’s community affairs officer Kevin Tos, in handing over the keys, urged the community, parents, staff and students to take care of the new properties.
Tari PJV project coordinator Ray Weber said two more new projects still under construction this year under the TCS were a staff house for Kuluanda primary school worth K80,000 and another double classroom for Lomia community school worth K160,000.
Mr Weber said PJV is also constructing 100 new desks for schools in Tari estimated at K35,000.
PJV Tari office had also paid out more than K220,000 to support over 900 tertiary students from Hela studying in various institutions around the country while about K800, 000 had been used to support communities through its Community Assistance Programme (CAP).
An additional K500,000 had been given as donations to various self-help and community-orientated projects in the region such as sports, HIV/AIDS awareness, women, youth, agriculture and business development.
Last Saturday, PJV also chartered a chopper to fly in national exam papers from remote Hela schools into Mendi.