schools

However, for some schools in Port Moresby, it was a slow first-day as students were sent home.

Waigani Primary School in Port Moresby was among others that opened its doors to its students, but only for a mere 4 hours before they were sent home.

They were told that classes will officially start tomorrow, Tuesday 5^th May.

Tough instructions have been issued to schools, to follow certain guidelines, or face closure. One of this, is social distancing.

With schools to resume next week on the 4^th of May, Education Minister Joseph Yopyyopy says his office is still looking into possibilities of safe teaching.

He said schools can have two classes per day with one batch to start from 8 – 1 o’clock and the other from 2 o’clock till the end of the day.

“This is what we face in the urban schools, schools in Port Moresby, Lae, Rabaul, Mt. Hagen. Those main centers that you have overcrowding of students in one class, we are working on that.

When giving a rundown on the relaxation of certain SOE restrictions, Controller David Manning said tertiary institutions have recommenced this week while secondary and primary schools are set to start next week.

“However, if I can remind all parents and guardians, that this is optional – to either allow your children or those under your care to attend classes as of next week Monday,” Manning stated.

“Let me again remind you all that COVID-19 is here to stay. To stop it from spreading, it will not kill you to follow simple health measures.”

The Ministry of Education has issued instructions to schools to recover the lost instruction hours and to continue in this 2020 academic year.

Minister for Education Joseph Yopyyopy has issued directives to all teachers from elementary to Secondary schools to resume on the 27^th of April to prepare for the resumption of classes on the 4^th of May.

Term 2 classes will start on the 4^th of May and will end on the 10^th of July.  Term 3 will start as per the Education Calendar which is on the 20^th of August.

In December a two month old child from New Zealand was admitted to LBJ Hospital with symptoms of the disease.

The Department of Health is driving a campaign to promote immunisation after recent cases were recorded in the Northland region of New Zealand

Medical Director Joseph Tufa said parents should make sure their children are protected from the potentially deadly disease.

The department has asked parents to provide proof that their children have received the meningococcal vaccine and booster shot.

Secretary Dr Uke Kombra said the theme was chosen to give prominence to the newly introduced Citizenship and Christian Values Education (CCVE) curriculum, which has been made a compulsory subject from 2019 onwards.

Violence, be it physical, emotional or verbal, must be addressed in society and educating the young now can make a difference.

Its effects were surely felt today  in the nation's capital and parts of Central Province when schools were forced to send their students back home due to the continuous downpour and cold weather.

However, what's more concerning is the project fee.

While the government has issued another warning to schools not to charge project fees, parents and teachers know too well that schools need it.

At one of the city’s biggest primary schools, Wardstrip Demonstration, concerns relating to project fees were the main query raised by parents.

All these will be possible after Tuesday’s contract signing between Ambassador of Japan to Papua New Guinea, His Excellency Satoshi Nakajima, and head teachers from Kil, Kinjibi primary schools and Tatana Elementary School.

These three schools are successful recipients of the grant assistance for grassroots human security projects under Japan’s official development assistance program in PNG.

Minister for Health Sir Puka Temu made this announcement today at the official opening of a TB clinic at the Port Moresby General Hospital.  

Sir Puka said PNG has been ranked very low in nutritional standards and the Government has taken measures to fight this.

He added that our young generation must be given affordable meals and live a healthy lifestyle in order to get proper education.

“These are our generation that will be leaders tomorrow and must be given utmost care in terms of nutritional diets.”

21 of them have already been built and also officially registered in the last five years. The other 19 will be established in his second term in office, under the education development program.

Governor Wingti made this known last Friday at Baiyer District Headquarters during the commissioning of the district development authority members.

Wingti said his next dream is to partner with existing universities within the country and abroad to establish open campus in the province.