Yarik Primary School is located within the Special Mining Lease (SML) area of the Pogera gold mine in the Paiela-Pogera District, Enga Province.
The educational institution was indefinitely closed when the Pogera gold mine underground tunnel collapsed resulting in classrooms and teacher’s houses crumbling down as the school is located just above the underground tunnel.
Buka Yombon raised his concerns indicating that the closure will affect the education of the affected students from this primary school.
He said Yarik village is made up of 7 clans with an approximate population of 10,000 people.
Yombon said that the New Pogera Limited has not taken the responsibility to renovate and construct new infrastructures for the replacement of classrooms and staff houses that were damaged due to the collapse of the underground tunnel.
He said that even though Yarik is in the SML area, special consideration hasn’t been given to the innocent children of this area as their rights to education will be deliberately deprived by the company.
With the 2024 Academic Year to began on January 22, the future of the students of Yarik Primary School and the surrounding areas will be greatly affected.
*Photos show the Yarik community surroundings. Yarik Village is in the Special Mining Lease (SML) area and attention must be given to the landowners accordingly. [Photos courtesy of Buka Yombon]
