Parents asked for project fees to renovate buildings

 THE Board of Management of Wardstrip Primary School in Port Moresby is asking parents to pay the K100 project fee so it can use the money to complete general renovations to classrooms.

BOM treasurer Mathew Kulimbao said all they were asking was for parents to pay K100.

“Last year we charged K100 and parents have not come good because of the free education policy. This year we are charging K100 and we are hoping parents can pay so we can complete our projects.”

He said currently classroom construction is taking place at the school ground and that was an Education Department funded project to the value of K1.2 million.

“It is a special grant given by the department.”

The total cost of the project stands at K1 million and covers the general renovation for all the classrooms, toilet block and to build new classrooms to replace the ones that were burnt down.

“The buildings in this school are  buildings from the colonial days. They are not new. And so we have to renovate them. I am also appealing to the parents to pay their project fee to assist the school with such projects. We cannot use the school fee subsidy for renovation and maintenance,” he said.

He said classes were suspended last week for three days to allow the contractors to complete the interior of the classrooms. Classes at Wardstrip started last Thursday.

The school has a student population of 2,840 from Grades 3 to 8 with 41 teachers and 41 classes.

Kulimbao said the construction, once completed, will see the school have two double-story buildings with 12 classrooms.

He said construction work began in November last year and the contractor WAPCO construction has been K300,000 as mobilisation fund from the department to start the work.

All works on the buildings are expected to be completed by the end of term two.

 however, the recent wet weather has disrupted work and is likely to affect the completion time, Kulimbao said.

“They will use their money to complete and upon completion the Education department will pay the balance of the contract,” he said.

He said the next board of management project will be to build an indoor complex that the school can use for physical education activities as currently the schools only playing area has been taken up by new classrooms.