The lack of maintenance and construction of new infrastructure in public schools in Port Moresby is starting to take its toll. Gerehu Primary School is one of the oldest schools in the country and is seemingly in dire straits and falling apart.

The dry arid atmosphere does not help with the outlook of the school. It is made even worse with the graffiti and slow deterioration of infrastructure evident of a struggling Government run school in the nations capital. A scene all too familiar for most public primary schools in the city of Port Moresby.

Gerehu primary has about 3,000 plus students, and 55 teachers but limited teaching resources and office equipment for printing and photocopying.

The school is basically in a slow downward spiral, and some parents have had enough of the situation and are going out of their way to become the solution. The Parents and Citizens (P&C Representatives) are leading the way to help improve the schools academic status and are rallying support to improve the overall outlook of the school.

The school has been struggling to maintain a higher level of teaching and learning especially with the grade 8 students of the school. According to results from last year only 30 percent of the total number of grade eight students from the school made it into grade nine.

On Saturday last week grade 8 students, their teachers, including a handful of parents participated in a walkathon to raise money for the school. They look to make K20,000 from the sponsor sheet papers given to students and parents. The money raised will be for the purchase of office equipment and also to aid with remedial and extra classes for the grade 8 students.

Smith Yamanavan is a parent and former student of Gerehu Primary. He and two other parents, Rodney Wasman and Decosta Dindillo, took lead of the walkathon and have formed a core group to effect some change to the schools status quo.

Its appalling graffiti lining the walls of the classrooms, rubbish piling up and close to nothing in terms of toilet and wash facilities, there is only one functioning toilet that wreaks and all the walls are dirty, even the sinks and bowls. It’s disgusting to say the least and students are forced to drink water from these very unhygienic facilities. Boys sometimes run to the open field to relieve themselves.

Gerehu Primary was established in the 1960’s Under the Australian Government as an international community school which provided education for many Australian Children, this was before it was handed over to the PNG Government.

It probably looked decent back then but these days it is a worrying site for students and parents seeing the state of the school. Even the Deputy Headmaster of the school, Mr Stanley Tonny, says they cannot afford the extra money needed to fix the school.

He added that they fully support the Parents and Citizens (P&C). The Tuition fee free (TFF) subsidies which the school gets is not enough to do major maintenance work for the school. Despite efforts to seek partners to improve the school by the administration their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

Whilst teaching and learning is paramount, the socioeconomic factors of income and housing is deeply affecting the teachers. Some of the old buildings and classrooms are being used as accommodation by some teachers. While students learn during the day the teachers tuck in for the night in the classrooms.

The Parents have taken up the cause to make it their business to know why the administration of the school is incompetent in improving the schools appalling status.

Related: https://insidepng.com/gerehu-secondary-school-alumni-partner-with-school-for-future-projects/