By FREDRICK JEJERI
A COMBINATION of teamwork has attracted key stakeholders to invest in transforming a ward area in Umi Local Level Government council in Markham District, Morobe.
A combination of teamwork from parents, general members of communities and mandated politicians has gained confidence and interests from international and national partners like Save The Children, World Vision, Care International and Morobe’s Division of Community Development to contribute in changing the status of an elementary school, a primary school, an aid post and two major communities that makes up ward six in the Umi Local Level Government area.
From humble beginning, it was through communities initiative to elevate an elementary school to primary school level when current member for Markham who is also deputy speaker for parliament Koni Iguan intervened with only K1, 000 as a capital funding when he was council president for Umi Artzera LLG 17 years ago.
The communities maintained their hard work and continued on to support in changing the school’s infrastructure with the support from school’s Tutition Free Fee – TFF funds over the years.
12 years later, Mr Iguan was elected to represent the people of Markham as their member for parliament. He visited the school and supported the school with K10, 000 funding through District Support Services Improvement Program(DSIP).
That combination efforts connected Morobe’s Division of Community Development to intervene. A volunteer from the National Volunteer Services was then engaged where an healthy island concept program was introduced and practiced. Information about the school and the communities efforts in transforming the school and the ward area reached out.
Key stakeholders like Save The Children, World Vision and Care International came on board. Each stakeholder contributed to building parts of the school including community’s aid post infrastructure. Recently Digicel PNG Foundation came onboard with K50, 000 grant support to install solar lights throughout the ward area.
It was through the community’s heart to see change where that started with an elementary school that changed to now a level five primary school that gained key stakeholders to look at changing the overall ward area.
Despite being a recently established school, education authorities at the district level confirmed that Intsi Primary school is one of the school’s passing good number of students from a remote place to secondary schools and universities.
The local MP was invited to attend the opening of five in one building which consists of four classrooms and a administration room.
The school also opened four new teachers house on Monday (29/06/26).
Present at the occasion were three council presidents, two district school inspectors, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea education secretary Keith Jiram and representatives from the provincial division of Community Development.
This effort truly signifies the real spirit of taking ownership and initiative to attract change at all levels of in a society.
The community never waited for government nor nongovernment to feed them everything.