School opens facilities

 By TED WIKA KALEO, UPNG journalism student

MORE than 650 disadvantaged students will benefit from new school facilities that opened in Port Moresby yesterday.

Funded through the Papua New Guinea-Australia Incentive Fund; the K5.3 million upgrade includes a new multi-purpose hall, a three storey building extension containing new classrooms and administration rooms, and a new driveway, footpath, stairs and fencing.

Australia’s High Commissioner, Deborah Stokes, opened the facilities at the La Salle-Hohola Youth Development Centre (La Salle-HYDC). 

Stokes said the new facilities meant more young women and men would graduate from the centre with job-ready skills for Papua New Guinea’s growing economy. 

“They come from disadvantaged settlements and villages across PNG and work hard to gain academic and technical skills because the De La Salle Brothers and other supporters give them a second chance at education.”

Director and principal Br Antony Swamy said through hard work, the facilities would finally be available.

“The new facilities will complement the existing facilities at La Salle-HYDC and enable the institution to continue its provision of quality technical and vocational education to youths who are most in need,” he said.

He said around 650 young men and women aged 16-24 enrolled at La Salle-Hohola Youth Development Centre in automotive engineering, carpentry, welding, administration, cooking and tourism. 

“Of the 107 graduates in 2012, almost a 100 found work,” Swamy said.

He said in 2006, the La Salle–HYDC applied and received over K10 million from the Incentive Fund to build classrooms, tutorial rooms, a library, auto-mechanic and carpentry workshops, administrative offices and upgrade water and power supplies, which allowed the college’s enrolment to expand by more than  150.

Stokes said Australia supported access to quality education from elementary to universities and technical colleges.

“We work with PNG to get more girls and boys into elementary schools, keep them there for their entire primary and secondary schooling and provide options for further education,” she said.