New school takes in Grade 10s

 By STEPHANIE ELIZAH

TRANSGOGOL high school, established last year, 30km south of Madang town, will this year take in its first 80 Grade 10 students.

The students were also the school’s first Grade 9 students after graduating from feeder schools in the Transgogol area including Bemal, Kokun, Tadup, Lagogen, Bahor, Amele, Ohu, Kil and Waniw primary schools.

Madang district administrator Lawrence Pitor said it was an exciting time for parents and education authorities involved in the establishment of the school because, for the first time, children from the area would not have to travel far to attend school.

“For years, our children have had to leave their homes and travel distances to attend high schools like Tusbab, Good Sheppard, Karkar and Brahmin. They risked their safety and it was costly for the parents to send their children far. Because of this, we had a very low number of students from these parts of Madang attending school,” said Pitor.

He added that space in other high schools was also an issue which affected the intake of students from the area.

“And now, with the establishment of the new high school, the number of students attending school is expected to increase.”

According to Pitor, construction on three new teachers’ houses, two duplex classrooms and a science laboratory was expected to be completed in time for the start of the academic year.

The establishment of the high school was an initiative of Madang Open member Goli Malai.