Give more attention to rural schools, says principal

By ROSELYN ELLISON
SCHOOLS in remote areas need the attention of education officials more than those in urban centres, a school principal says.
Scan Bandi, principal of the Mutu Central Primary School of Huon district in Morobe, said education officials were reluctant to address problems faced by remote schools in Morobe.
“Due to these circumstances, we teachers in the remote schools are always at a disadvantage,” Bandi said.
He suggests that subsidy funds for all the remote schools be increased. Urban schools are better equipped as regards learning materials and infrastructure than remote schools.
Bandi also suggested that the government’s policy of paying each child a subsidy should be done away with.
The focus should be more on developing schools which lack development in terms of learning materials and infrastructure.
“Even though schools in the remote areas get very little funds from their subsidy, they still can use these funds to improve infrastructure and other important areas which will benefit the students and teachers,” Bandi said.
The national department of education should consider the hardship faced by remote schools and increase their subsidy funds.
Bandi urges grade eight students in remote schools in the province who have been selected to grade nine to work extra harder.
“With more technology, you have to work harder to compete with the students from the urban areas,” he said.
Central Mutu Primary School is one of the most remote schools in the Morobe province.
It takes almost two hours to walk from Wawin National High School to Mutu.