Parents preparing for school year

By ROSELYN ELLISON
THE 2020 academic year is expected to begin on Jan 27 and parents are busy preparing their children for classes.
Some are also looking for funds for their children’s fees.
In East New Britain, parents are also shopping for stationeries.
But at Kuradui in Raluana village, Lazarus Sogira from Yangoru in the East Sepik and Nangananga village in ENB and his children were working on their garden.
He said it was also important to educate his children about using the land.
Sogira works at the Simberi mine in New Ireland and is currently on a break.
“While I am on break, I want to teach my children to work on the land,” said Sogira.
He has taro on his farm which he plans to harvest next month.
The family will sell the taro to buy stationery for his two children.
“My wife and I have already budgeted and secured the fees for our two children, while the income we get from taro will complement the stationeries,” Sogira said.
At Tropicana Ltd Supermarket in Kokopo, Amanda and her father Rudy Wunmaur were busy shopping. Wunmaur hails from Amaki village in the Ambunti-Drekikier District of East Sepik.
Wunmaur is an informal sector vendor at the Lihir gold mine.
While in Kokopo, he took 10-year-old Amanda to Tropicana to buy school stationery.
Amanda will attend Grade Two at the Kul Destiny Elementary School in Lihir.
Leo Samuel, 16, from Vunatagia village in the Raluana local level government (LLG) in Kokopo was also buying his Science text books. He wants to become an engineer.
“I will study hard to achieve my dream,” said Leo.