Goilala keen on sending young men, women to school

By JUNIOR UKAHA
THE Goilala district in Central is keen on sending some of its young men and women to attend the Wau Alluvial Mining Institute (Wami) in Bulolo, Morobe, next year, MP William Samb says.
Samb said this after paying a courtesy visit to the institute last Saturday with members of his district development authority.
Samb and his team were in Bulolo to strengthen existing relations with the district and find new ways to foster partnership.
The team visited a number of establishments in Bulolo like the Bayune Hydro Power Station, the Coffee Industry Corporation office, the National Forest Products facilities and Wami.
Samb’s team included LLG presidents Patrick Bawai (Guari), Keleto Kope (Tapini) and Joe Geru (Woitape).  Wami training coordinator Samuel Leonarhd took Samb and his team around on a tour of the institution’s facilities.
The institution teaches alluvial miners on mining techniques, mercury usage, environmental issues, the mining law, occupational health and safety, business, HIV and AIDS, personal development and child labour, among other courses.
“The idea is to develop the small-scale alluvial industry in the country,” Leonarhd said.
“The aim is we want to make a complete business person,” he said.
“This is the only alluvial mining school in the Asia-Pacific region that teaches people about small scale mining.”
The institution takes in about 32 students at a time and trains them for two weeks. Samb, who was impressed with the school’s set up and management, said he was keen to send a number of his constituents to attend the institution.
“The fact that our DDA members are here, we will see to it that we discuss the matter and send some of our young men and women here to go through these trainings,” Samb said.
“I’ve seen that in Goilala smallscale miners are building small tunnels and what if these tunnels collapse?  It’s good we came here and get some basic knowledge of what you do,” Samb said.