It was with much pride that 74 pioneer Grade 10 students of Dr John Davis High School in Dusin, Middle Ramu district, graduated in a small but significant ceremony.
The graduation was witnessed by community members, school staff and invited guests. Dr. John Davis High School is located in Minyak village in Kovon LLG of rural Middle Ramu, Madang Province. A small hamlet located behind the mountains of Jimi District of Jiwaka Province. This is a place where much of basic government services such as roads are hardly seen.
This little school is the pride of their community, a much-needed service that was established as a community school in the 1980s by James Yakip, a missionary from Southern Highlands and was recently accredited high school status by the Madang Education Division.
School staff and villagers celebrated the day with much enthusiasm because after 34 years, their children would not have to travel to other neighbouring provinces to receive higher education.
Although the school faces many challenges, with no proper teaching materials, no funding and little facility built mostly from bush materials. There are three faithful teachers who teach seven subjects interchangeably.
The community’s hope is to be connected by road someday so that changes can be brought into the area.
The small ceremony was made even special when the Opposition leader and Member for Vanimo Green, Beldan Namah, attended the graduation upon invitation from former Madang Governor, Jim Kas.
Namah, on the occasion paid his respect to the late Middle Ramu MP, Johnny Annanias Alonk, who passed away recently. He conveyed his sincere condolences to his people and described the late MP as a humble leader.
Namah committed K200,000 to the Dusin Community school and Dr John Davis High School, he encouraged the graduates to look at other ways of furthering their education instead of focusing on the formal education system.
Principle Legal Officer at Department of Justice and Attorney General, John Laule, and a former student of Dusin Community School discouraged the students to stay away from marijuana and homebrew and gave them an insight of the consequences under the recent law passed.