Fighting torpedoes chance to take exam

By DOROTHY MARK
Grade 8 pupils of a remote primary school in Madang did not sit for their examinations because a cult-related ethnic clash had forced the school to close.
Madang education director Moses Sariki said the school closed in October because the ethnic clash threatened the teachers who left with their families.
“The villagers and students were greatly disturbed and that forced the school to shut down,” Sariki said.
He said arrangements would be made to allow those students to repeat Grade 8 so they could sit the examinations next year.
Meanwhile, students in Madang have been advised to be close to their parents when schools close for Christmas and New Year holidays.
Madang is known for students ending up in trouble during the festive season.
Sariki encouraged parents to keep their children away from homebrew because many problems and arguments began after drinking.
He congratulated students who successfully completed Grades 8, 10 and 12 and said those who could not continue because their GPA was low should not give up.
Sariki appealed to the six Madang MPs, including Governor Peter Yama, to fund Flexible Open and Distance Education (FODE) facilities in the six districts of the province so that students, who needed to, could upgrade their marks.
He said a memorandum of understanding had been signed between the Education Department and Madang government to enable FODE centres to be established in the districts.