Province focuses on infrastructure

THE Southern Highlands government is focusing on building staff houses for the Poroma Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) College established in the Nipa-Kutubu district in 2018.
The multi-year financing programme that cost K6 million was part of the provincial government’s priority in improving and establishing TVET centres in the province to absorb thousands of school leavers that did not make it to tertiary institutions.
While the construction of the staff houses is underway by contractor Nipoku Construction, the contractor is also focused on the final touches to the buildings that will house classrooms, a conference room, administration facilities and offices for staff.
Governor William Powi told The National that the provincial government spent K6 million in total; K2 million in 2018, another K2 million in 2020 and K2 million this year.
“It is the administration’s vision to improve and construct TVET centres in the province and enrol school leavers to address unemployment in the country,” he said.
He said about 25,000 to 30,000 students graduated from secondary schools annually, however the universities and colleges could only get about 10,000.
He said the remaining students were forced to attend private colleges.