Schools in remote areas struggle, programme says

 EDUCATION is the foundation to all aspects of social, political, spiritual, economical development of an individual for meaningful participation in a community. 

An educational awareness programme organised to inform the community on the importance of education and its benefits highlighted that while schools in the country are seeing the real value, schools in remote communities are struggling to catch up in many areas. 

It is for this reason that the current government has placed high priority on education with millions of kina under the free tuition fee subsidy.

Awareness facilitator, Wesley Lopele, said Samberigi valley is no exception with increasing gap in the human resource development due to critical issues and challenges faced by the schools towards effective teaching and learning.  

Being a former secondary school teacher, he said challenges faced by schools have led to a decline in graduates and, this in turn, affects the flow of manpower development in the Samberigi valley. 

It was noted that serving teachers and nurses were over the retirement age, with no young people taking up the positions.  

He said there were ways to improve and change for better. That could be done through collaborative approach by the schools to create effective partnership with the community, public, private and churches towards change in the Samberigi.  

Southern Highlands education advisor Joel Raitano said the community must stand united to support schools and teachers if progress was to be made. 

He assured the community that he would support the re-opening of the Gobe High School in 2014 and wanted to see a new location to acquire the Gobe Agro Technical High School in a few years.