Digicel erects building for N. Ireland school

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Friday 11th November 2011

PANACHAIS Primary School, situated outside Kavieng, in the West Coast Kara Nalik area of Kavieng district, New Ireland, has become the second school in the province to benefit from the Digicel Foundation’s roll-out of double classroom structure throughout the country.
The all steel kit structure new design double classroom, which includes 40 desks, a water tank, kit showers and kit toilets, was built in only two weeks at a cost of K90,000.
The school was established in 1974 by the Catholic church and initially operated as a church agency community school.
With increase in enrolment each year the school grew into a primary school in 2001. It is a Catholic agency school governed by the Tikana LLG.
The school has an enrolment of 112 students, has classes from Grades 3 to 8 and has six teachers.
To date the school has not received any external support apart from the usual government school subsidy.
Despite this, the community supports the school and always helps out with any work needed there.
New Ireland provincial education director Dr John Hamau said the partnership between the foundation and the education division in New Ireland to create a better learning environment had been received with excitement.
Digicel Foundation chief executive officer Marina van der Vlies said education was fundamental to growth – growth of a child, their community, and their country and in turn, the world.
“The Panachais community has shown that they deeply value education and are well organized and committed to ensuring their children receive vital basic education,” she said.
“They have shown great community spirit by giving all their support where necessary to the school.
“We support and work with communities like Panachais by providing them with better resources, which will help their children develop so as a community, they too become stronger for the future.”