Official: Education an investment

HAVING access to primary education is every child’s basic right and proper infrastructure ensures that more children to go to school, first secretary of Japanese Embassy Mitsugu Yachidate says.
Yachidate was at St Peter Chanel Primary School in Erima, Port Moresby, to officially open a new classroom funded by the Japanese government through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) scheme on Friday.
“I believe that education is not only a tool to acquire knowledge and skills but it is also an investment for future development through children.”
Yachidate said the Japanese government was pleased to support PNG government’s efforts to improve the education sector.
“The classrooms are gifts from the government and people of Japanese,” he said.
“Look after these classrooms so that they can benefit not only current students but many more students in the future.”
The one-storey building, built by Pantreid Pacific Ltd at a cost of K270, 000, consists of three classrooms. St Peter Chanel Primary School head teacher Martha Kaisapi said their classrooms were already overcrowded because of the increase in the number of students each year.
“St Peters Chanel is a level eight school with 47 teachers – 35 primary and 12 elementary,” she said.
“Our classrooms are overcrowded with more than 1,000 students.”
Kaisapi said as a result of overcrowding, they have four classes that have lessons outside
She thanked Japanese government for the much needed assistance.
Kaisapi said the three new classrooms would be allocated to grade three and four students.