A remote high school at Dusin in Kovon Local Level Government area of Middle-Ramu District on Tuesday, February 10, received a morale boosting financial assistance of K50,000 by the Provincial Member and Governor for Madang Province, Ramsey Pariwa, to build a new classroom to accommodate Flexible Open Distance Education or FODE.
Dusin is situated in a far-flung corner up in the cool misty mountain ridge of the Bismark Range and shares the borders of Madang, Western Highlands, Enga and East Sepik provinces and has no road connectivity. The only access is by light aircraft mostly via Kagamuga Airport in Western Highlands due to the distance.
Governor Pariwa travelled into Dusin accompanied by the Member for Middle-Ramu and Assistant Speaker of the National Parliament, Kansol Harwai Kamdaru, on short notice mainly due to unreliable communication reaching the area. However, the turn out of the people at Dusin airstrip to meet and greet the leaders were exceptional. Even the mid-morning showers did not dampen their excitement and eagerness to meet and greet the two national leaders of the province.
Mr. Pariwa, who is no stranger to Dusin and Kovon LLG after his two previous visits last year and the year before, explained that he has already sent a student from Kovon LLG to India under the FODE program and wants to provide more opportunities for school leavers who are doing nothing in the remote Kovon LLG after completing their formal education to resort to FODE by upgrading their marks to continue their education.
Governor’s support to FODE is basically to improve human resource base of Madang so that the future educated elites can support him develop the province.
“I encourage youths who have completed grade 8 or 10 and are staying in the villages in Kovon to enroll at FODE to continue your education," Governor Pariwa said.
“You must not look down on yourself as failures. You still have the knowledge in you however it is our education system that cannot accommodate you, but I am now offering you the second chance in FODE to return to education,” he explained.
Governor Pariwa presented the K50,000 cheque to a senior teacher at Dusin Primary School, Desmond Ramnep, in the presence of the Dusin Ward Three-member, Mike Philip. The presentation was done after a memorandum of agreement was signed by the parties present regarding on the usage of the public funds, a system devised by the Governor’s Office on accountability and transparency in public funds disbursement.
MP Kamdaru praised Governor Pariwa for vigorously promoting FODE and his continued support and assistance to rural schools in Middle-Ramu and other districts in Madang province.
The local MP challenged his people particularly the board and management of schools in the five rural LLGs in Middle-Ramu District namely, Arabaka, Simbai, Kovon, Josephstaal and Wanuma to utilize the funds he had already allocated to build classrooms and not waste time playing politics.
Furthermore, he also revealed the name of a certain board member misusing school funds to contest the recent LLG election.
An officer with the Teaching Services Commission (TSC), Kenneth Kalai, who accompanied Governor Pariwa and the Middle-Ramu MP to Dusin explained that Kovon LLG schools are classified under ‘disadvantaged’ and there were instances where teachers make it their excuse of not turning up for work but staying away in town and getting paid.
“I am now telling you parents that upon noticing failures by teachers not turning up in school to report to me immediately so that person is automatically deleted from the payroll system,” Mr. Kalai explained.
MP Kamdaru told the gathering that Kovon LLG has less population compared to Arabaka, Simbai, Josepstaal and Wanuna LLG, however, there are many primary schools mushrooming in the area which is a big concern to him particularly in the allocation of funds.
Mr. Kalai acknowledged MP Kamdaru’s concern and would need further information to warrant him to de-activate these schools which are popping up unnecessarily.
