K36m contract signed for infrastructure development

A contract worth over K36 million has been signed for infrastructure development for 10 technical and vocational learning centres in the country.

The contract is between the European Union, Department of National Planning and Monitoring and contractors.

The contract signing paves the way for construction company Rhodes PNG and Atlas Steel PNG to commence construction on various school projects, including teachers’ houses.

The 10 schools who will benefit from this funding assistance are Morata and Badili TVET in NCD, Umi and Bulolo TVET in Morobe Province, Yawasoro in East Sepik Province, Raval and Kabeira TVET in East New Britain, Pompabus and Laiagam TVET in Enga Province and Kamaliki TVET in Eastern Highlands Province.

Depending on the schools’ needs, the projects will include the building of administration buildings, library, IT laboratory, dormitories, workshops, ablution blocks, water tanks, septic tanks and teachers’ houses.

Each school will be getting infrastructure worth the following;

  • Morata TVET – K4,063,436.00
  • Badili TVET – K2,900,890
  • Umi TVET – K2,820,741
  • Bulolo TVET – K2,366,329
  • Yawasoro TVET – K5,007,981
  • Raval TVET – K2,897,857
  • Kabeira TVET – K7,021,966
  • Pompabus TVET – K3,425,240
  • Laiagam TVET – K3,971,002
  • Kamaliki TVET – K2,643,232

Ambassador and Head of EU Delegation to PNG, Ioannis Giokarakis Argyopoulos, said EU will support and continue to support the human development of the nation.

“We have been active in developing the skills and capacity of young Papua New Guineans to develop themselves and develop the nation,” he stated.

“Under the current program, we foresee to allocate close to K100 million to support mainly the construction of infrastructure in 10 TVETs.

“We also try to support their facilities for training and materials, and also most importantly, we support the quality, the training of the teachers and support the department of education to manage the program.”

Secretary for National Planning and Monitoring, Hakaua Harry, whose department is overseeing the contract, says the awarding of this contract is yet another milestone for PNG’s 68th year relationship with the European Union.

“The EU has been a strong development partner in education over the last 15 years,” she said.

“The trend of activities or components have been mostly in the areas of institutional capacity development of the Department of Education, primary teacher training and access to education, TVET sector reforms, capacity building of TVET teachers, job experience training for TVET and improvement in learning infrastructure in schools and institutions.”

Hillary Damke, the Manager of Morata TVET, who brought some of his students to witness the occasion, says TVET schools have taken a lot of youths off the streets and allowed them to find employment.

Under this funding from the European Union, his school will get two double classroom, a workshop each for joinery, mechanical, plumbing, welding and metal fabrication, ablution blocks, 12 water tanks and 2 septic tanks all worth over K4 million. 

Author: 
Charmaine Poriambep