Students miss out on classes

 By DOROTHY MARK

MORE than 120 students at Lutheran Day Primary School in Madang missed classes after their classrooms were occupied with supplies from Treid Pacific (PNG) Ltd.

The school supplies, include learning and teaching kits, were supposed to be distributed to schools in the six districts of the province but have remained at the school.

Treid Pacific supplies the Government’s gear component of the free fees to schools.

A teacher at the school said the kits were stored inside four Grade 8 classrooms and the students had to stay out.

The students were given lessons to do at home after normal classes resumed last week.

Provincial education adviser Moses Sariki said he gave a notice to Treid Pacific last week to remove the kits from the classrooms within 24 hours and the firm promised to remove them last Tuesday.

“If I give authority for some people to move the kits, I will breach the contract between the Government and Treid Pacific,” Sariki said.

He said the firm had been paid to distribute the kits to all identified schools in the six districts.

Mamose regional coordinator for Treid Pacific Eddie Saweni and his team had launched the Madang programme.

“Treid Pacific will distribute the school material right to the doorsteps of all the schools and schools won’t face the problem of transportation like other contractors did before,” he said.

It is understood that schools in Madang district were to receive the kits by the end of last year, while those in other districts were to get them before school started last Monday.