Chief appeals to landowners: Give land for education

A LOCAL chief from the Ngarutsaniang area in Markham, Morobe, where the Umi Vocational Training Centre is located, has called on customary landowners to give land for the development of other educational institutions to benefit the district.
Nickson Michael told The National on Monday during the inauguration of infrastructure developments at the lower secondary Tvet (technical, vocational education and training) school, that land
was important not just for business and agriculture but also for
education and other important services.
“Our ancestors saw a better future for us, to get educated, find a good job and come back to develop this place,” he said.
“The land was first sold to the government in the 1970s because of education.”
“Today, we have many locals who are employed because of the training they received at schools here.
“Over the years, we made sure the school was safe and operating.”
“By giving our land and by keeping this area safe, we are not only helping ourselves, but other students from around the country who attend this school.”
The infrastructure opened include four workshops, two duplex teachers’ houses and two ablution blocks; the developments are expected to support the growing number of youths and grade 10 school leavers from the area.
Michael thanked the European Union, Government, Morobe education division and government for the infrastructure, however, he called on the Markham development authority to sponsor at least 10 students from the area to attend the Tvet school.
“We are happy that every year three or four of our locals graduate from this school, however, most families can’t afford the school fees.”
Michael’s brother, Simeon Amar, said the school needed to be maintained and expanded as the numbers of students was expected to increase yearly.