K4 million RESI funds for Gumine

SCHOOLS in Gumine district, Simbu province, will have basic infrastructure improved at a value of K4 million from the Rehabilitation Education Sector Infrastructure (RESI) programme.
Gumine MP Lucas Dawa officially launched the programme at Kela village last Friday witnessed by Simbu Governor Fr John Garia, public servants and a huge crowd.
Several pigs and two cows were slaughtered at the launch.
The highlight of the launch was the presentation of K500,000 to Werrato Brothers, a local construction company, to coordinate the refurbishment of infrastructure especially classrooms and teachers’ houses.
While launching the programme, Mr Dawa said he had a vision to change Gumine and lift its status and called on all able-bodied people of the district to support him.
“I set performance indicators for public servants to perform, I have a vision to achieve for Gumine district, its time for us to work hard and not play petty politics,” Mr Dawa said.
He said as political head of the district, he had a duty to create an environment conducive for Gumine to progress.
He said the other district services improvement programme being implemented were from the 2007 supplementary budget and last year’s allocation for the district, saying that they still had this year’s allocation yet to be implemented.
Fr Garia said five districts out of the six in the province had received RESI funds, and Gumine district was the first to launch its programme.
 He urged the people of Gumine to support the developments that would take place
in schools.
Fr Garia said Simbu had placed human resource development as it’s number one as the province was geographically disadvantaged.
“The provincial government will continue to provide school fee subsidy next year, the school fees will remain the same and there will be free elementary education,”
he said.
Classrooms and teachers houses will be built from the money, and a new Hino Truck will be bought to transport building materials and a walkabout saw mill under the RESI programme, while Gumine High School will have its school mess renovated at the cost of K364,000.