School road cut off by landslides

 By ELIAS LARI

TEACHERS and students from Jimi High School in Jiwaka have been largely isolated from the rest of the province for almost two months as several sections of the road leading to the school have been cut off by landslides.

The school is located in Kol in the upper Jimi local level government.

Principal John Kamb made this remark when Jiwaka Governor William Tongamp helped the school by allowing airline company MAF to airlift equipment, material and teachers to the school.

Tongamp assured the school board and the management that he would help to deliver food supplies for the school while the main road was interrupted.

“This road is completely cut off and cannot be used anymore,” Kamb said.

“Students are walking for kilometres and this is a wrong. Food rations and learning materials were not easy to transport.”

Kamb appreciated Tongamp’s support.

He said the school was airlifting cargo and transporting staff after Tongamp asked the airline company to make it a routine trip to the school until the road was back in service.

Kamb said this was enormous support from the Jiwaka provincial government under Tongamp.

So far eight trips have been made to the school.

“This is the only form of transport,” Kamb said.

He said landslides occurred at different spots which made it difficult for the school truck or PMV to travel through.