PNG Ports in exchange deal with school

PNG Ports Corporation Limited has volunteered to renovate 30 houses for teachers at Bugandi Secondary School this year in exchange for storage space.
Renovation on the first lot of houses will be completed by the end of the month.
Each house is expected to cost about K300,000 to renovate.
This was part of an arrangement between the school and PNG Ports signed in December.
Under the 50-year lease agreement, PNG Ports will be using about 20ha of Bugandi’s total area of 36ha as a container storage area.
It is understood Bugandi will benefit from a total of K50 million over the 50 years.
Bugandi Secondary School teacher and coordinator of the project, Tommy Yepp, said yesterday that the first of the teachers’ houses were looking good.
PNG Ports has also started offering scholarships to Grade 12 students in which two students were selected last year to take up studies at the Maritime College in Madang.
“This year, we will see another two students take up studies in Madang which will continue for the next 40 years,” Mr Yepp said.
“They are also guarantee employment with PNG Ports after they graduate from the college.”
PNG Ports will also be offering scholarships to teachers to upgrade their qualifications.
Mr Yepp expressed his gratitude to the corporation for “looking beyond the student’s needs”.
The corporation has engaged and paid contractors to carry out the renovations.