Adding value to seed capital

LENKE, a village on the outskirts of Wabag, Enga, is about to be – if it is not already – immortalised in government education policy.
It has lent its name to a principle which Education Minister James Marape declared earlier this year as the realisation of another policy – the private public partnership concept.
Marape made his remarks while opening a magnificent new elementary classroom, conceived and built by the village.
The minister was impressed, he said, because: “The Lenke model is this: The Education Department had not arrived yet. The member of parliament had not arrived yet. The provincial government had not arrived yet. The people of Lenke moved first. They mobilised their own resources to built a classroom because the people and their councillor believed in its worth. That is the Lenke model.”
The education minister needs to be corrected here. There was somebody who did encourage the “Lenke model” for infrastructure development into existence. It did not fall out of the sky.
It is part and parcel of the Wabag and Maramuni district education policy, the initiative of Wabag MP and minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Samuel T Abal.
The Lenke community contributed local skills, labour, materials and funds to add to Abal’s allocation of K85,000 to build a double-storey elementary classroom that would have cost K400,000.
Abal initiated this policy because he wants to reverse the mentality that all development must come from the government. He also did it for the simple reason that the government does not have enough money to give to every school in the country.
That would mean finding sufficient money to fund 10,000 elementary schools, 5,000 community schools, 500 high schools, six national high schools and 107 secondary schools. To do that, the government would need K17 billion. That is slightly less than double the total annual national budget, so, it is money PNG does not have.
And, that is only counting the schools already in existence.
If communities choose to wait for the government to arrive and give them assistance, before they set out to build a classroom, they will wait forever.
To reverse the handout mindset and to distribute limited resources equitably throughout the district, Abal allocates what he can from available district funds as seed capital and calls upon the school communities to contribute labour, materials and raise funds to build what is needed in schools.
Despite criticisms from detractors, the concept has taken off at a gallop. Apart from Lenke Elementary, three other schools have performed superbly.
Kerapusmanda Primary School was given K100,000 this year. With it, the school and community have built two permanent double classrooms, a teacher’s house and bought a standby generator. The total worth at today’s prices would be more than K300,000.
Birip Primary School was given K150,000 this year. There stand today two double classrooms and two teachers’ houses. Total worth: K400,000.
Takend Primary School was given K100,000. The school has constructed three double classrooms and a teacher’s house. Total worth: K400,000.
On Monday, Abal visited his electorate again to officiate at the opening of Kerapusmanda Primary School. There, to do the honours, was the European delegate.
For the occasion, 19 headmasters from Wabag and Maramuni schools turned up.
They listened with rapt attention as the minister outlined the principles surrounding his education policy and why it was the way for communities to take charge and ownership of their own destiny and that of their younger generations.
Yesterday, he pledged at Tumbilam Elementary School that he would give each of the 19 schools in his electorate K100,000 for their infrastructure work.
His one message is that each community will do as Lenke, Kerapusmanda, Birip and Takend communities have done and contribute sweat equity to build for themselves schools infrastructure that is worth more than the seed capital they get from him.
He intends for future assistance to be strictly tied to how well each community does.
Marape has coined his brother minister’s efforts as
the “Lenke model”, but it would be more accurate to rename it the “Wabag model”
or, more specifically, the “Abal model”.