New classroom to ease overcrowding issue

A LEVEL seven primary school in Port Moresby opened a four-in-one double classroom for its lower grades to be used this term.
Philip Aravure Primary School head teacher Robert Sailas said this would ease some overcrowding issues currently faced by the school.
The school has more than 2,000 students enrolled for this academic year.
Sailas said grades three, four and five would use the classrooms because they were too many in one classroom.
“Right now they are about 100 students in one class and with this new classroom we will break them down into the classes,” he said.
Education secretary Dr Uke Kombra during the opening on Thursday said overcrowding in classrooms had been an issue for many schools in the country which resulted in poor learning for students.
He said having the right number of students in one class (40 students per teacher) would greatly improve student learning.
“When we have such in the class, we can be able to deliver better teaching and better learning experience for students,” he said.
Kombra said the department had been working towards improving such issues.
He said students and parents must also make it their responsibilty to look after the school’s facilities.
“I encourage you students to keep the school in this form and status,” he said.
“Over time, the school classrooms and the facilities may naturally depreciate.
“It is our role and responsibilities as students and teachers of this school to maintain them all the time so that we keep the facilities as good as possible for teaching and learning to take place,” Kombra said.