Miner gives 60 desks, items

 ENEKUAI Primary School in the Kurumbukari plateau, in Usino-Bundi district of Madang, last Wednesday received 60 desks as the 2015 academic year started.

There was excitement in the air among the Enekuai community when  president of Ramu NiCo (MCC) Ltd Wang Jicheng travelled to the school to hand over the desks in the presence of students, teachers and parents.

Enekuai is one of the relocation sites in Kurumbukari plateau where villagers were relocated following nickel/cobalt extraction in the area.

Wang said Ramu NiCo, as the responsible developer, was mindful of the children’s future, as far as education is concerned. 

“When I arrived here in 2006, I did not see any school here,” Wang said. 

“We realised that our children took a long day walk to Danagari to attend school. Most of them gave up along the way because of the distance.” 

Local leader and landowner association member, Michael Yori thanked Ramu NiCo for the donation and praised the company for honouring its commitment under the memorandum of agreement (MOA).

Wang told the people who gathered that it was their landowners association that agreed with the company that Enekuai Primary School must be part of the relocation programme at Enekuai, apart from health centre, police post and relocation houses. 

Enekuai Primary School was established in 2012 for the communities from Enekuai, Dengekevi, Kinimati, Morinam, Dabrabu and Miai.

Students who attend the school come from as far as Danagari, Enekuai, Dengekevi, Karani, Kinimati, Morinam, Miai, Mondis, Dabrabu, Nakainum and Kaunakro. “Under the revised MoA, we pay certain amount of school fees to landowners’ children, covering all our project impacted areas which includes Kurumbukari. This is our long term commitment under the MoA,” Wang said.