By MICHELLE AUAMOROMORO
SUNDAY, May 1 went down in the history of the people of Sause Numboku in the mountains of Numbo LLG at Yangoru-Saussia District of East Sepik as the day that their dream, which was also the dream of their fathers and forefathers to have a school finally came true.
The people sang composed songs and even cried openly to express how they struggled since post-independence to find a school to be educated.
It was a day filled with joy and emotions as the three communities in the Ward 4 welcomed their very own primary school after 46 years of crying, calling out and dreaming for it.
“Since 1975, we did not have a school here. Our fathers tried to build one but did not succeed. Various councilors tried but did not succeed too,” said the Ward Member Tony Wamahawa with tears.
“I am shedding tears because I came through hardships myself to be educated. I climbed high mountains, crossed flooded streams and rivers, and walked through valleys to be where I am now,” he said.
A young teacher, Newman Hangreduo also shared his experience with tears about how he followed the same path when he was a student.
“We walked hours to get to a nearby school. When hungry, we climbed coconuts or picked unripe pawpaw and ripe bananas along the road. The owners of the gardens that we stole from would block the road the next day so we would stay home,” he said.
The women’s rep Wendy Kerry added:
“When the stream flood, we worry whether our children would return home safe from school or not. They walk for a long distance to get to a school and would return home all exhausted. Children need to eat three times a day to be strong enough to sit in the classroom and learn, but for our children’s case, the distance drains them and they are hungry and tired by the time they arrive at the school. To fill their stomachs, they steal coconuts and unripe pawpaw along the road, and sometimes they cut banana, hide them in the bushes and check to see if they have ripened so they could eat them. That was my experience too,” she said.
Many children left school because of the struggles, while few pressed on and completed their studies.
Some parents did not want to put the lives of their children at risk by having them to walk long distances to school so they sent them to live in the settlements in Wewak and even to other provinces to attend schools where they would not have to walk for hours to get to.
All these experiences will now be history and the new and upcoming generation of Sause Numboku will now write a new chapter of their villages’ education history because a school has now been brought right at their doorsteps.
“This generation and the upcoming one will not follow our footsteps; no more walking long distances to look for s school,” said Hangreduo.
“Now we have a school right in our ward. On behalf of the mothers and the children, thank you Hon. Richard Maru,” added Kerry.
Klewia Primary School was funded by the Yangoru-Saussia DDA under the leadership of Hon. Richard Maru and he officially opened it on Sunday.
Seeing and understanding the desperate need of the people to have a school in their ward, Kubalia School Inspector Maggi Kambagi secured a teacher for the school and said the classes would start as soon as possible.
“I have already appointed a teacher. We will buy school materials this week and the school will start classes next week for this year.
“Next year, I will have a discussion with the Seventh-Day Adventist Education Secretary for them to bring in two teachers,” she said.
The school would be run under the Seventh-Day Adventist church agency.
DDA funded K100, 000 for the establishment of the school.
With that funding, a double classroom was built together with a teacher’s house which is yet to be completed.
“Inside the classrooms, we have the blackboards, the tables and the chairs, and we will bring in teaching and learning materials and resources this week,” said the Ward Member Wamahawa.
Maru was impressed to see the fruition of the funding he gave.
“You have a teacher now being assigned to you (the school) so I will release K50, 000 for you to complete the staff house,” he said.
Written at the banner, under the name of the school was the new school’s motto.
It said: “Education Our Only Hope”
Education was once a dream for the people of Sause Numboku but now, seeing their dream finally come true gave them hope for the future, a future where no kid would have to walk again for hours to get to school but one that now looks bright.
Pictures by PAU UKUMA
