Students walk to raise funds for new computer lab

By CHARLES MOI
Forty Grade 8 students from a remote primary school in Afore, Ijivitari district in Northern, have walked for 10 days to Port Moresby to raise money to build its computer lab.
Led by their class patron Riekystam Saviko and 17 parents, the students – 11 girls and 29 boys – set out to raise funds for a worthy cause instead of waiting for Government funding.
The school chairman, a board member and a medical staff also walked with the students.
“The idea started in 2016 where the students wanted to leave a legacy for their school when they leave,” Saviko said.
“Since the world is changing and technology is changing, my students are also in that same race with students in the towns and cities.
“The students said if students in the cities how to type letters and deal with a laptop, then they want to do that as well.”
He said the Government’s tuition free fee was not enough to build new school infrastructure like a computer lab.
Saviko said they hoped to raise at least K150,000 to build their new computer lab.
The trek was led by parent Paul Koru, via a route known as the Ghost-Mountain Trail or the Gabagaba-Buna Track.
The students, between the ages of 16 and 18, left Itokama village at 9am on June 18 on a journey that would take them 10 days.
They crossed over to Central on June 22 when they arrived at village called Lalonu.
The continued their journey until they reached Debado village last Thursday.
After spending the night with a pastor they travelled by truck and arrived in Port Moresby last Friday.
“It was a very tough journey,” Saviko said.
“I thought the students would not make it due to the many steep mountains and fast-flowing rivers.
“It was very tiring with limited time of rest, but the students were able to make it.”
Itokama Primary School, has about 300 students from Grades 3 to 8. The students come from 12 nearby villages. There are five teachers at the school.