New classroom to enhance quality education
Total E&P PNG Limited collaborated with Digicel PNG in community engagement projects along the Project Impacted Area of PLR15. Education is a key priority focus within the host communities to improve community spirit and development.
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Douveri Henao of Digicel Foundation and Richard Kassman of TEP PNG, with a younger student of Poroi who was given the opportunity to assist with the ribbon cutting ceremony signifying the classroom's opening.
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Excited school children in front of the newly built double classroom with Digicel Foundation Representative Rita Abe getting ready for a photo shoot.
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The New Double Classroom at Poroi Village, Gulf Province.
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The classroom is fully fitted with proper student desks, solar lighting, escape door and refined windows for ventilation.
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A smile worth sharing, from left, Douveri Henao, Digicel PNG Foundation chairman, Richard Kassman, TEP PNG Corporate Affairs Director and Gary Seddon, of Digicel PNG Foundation during the inauguration.
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Poroi community and the neighbouring villages and students provided a suitable welcome for the guests. They danced, sang and distributed food and gifts with everyone.
Poroi celebrates its First Permanent Classroom
Poroi 2 village is home to the Pawaian people, who have customary land interests within PLR-15 (Petroleum Retention License), currently the most impacted community by TEP PNG activities. The current logistics base (Herd Base) located along the Purari River sits on the land of the Nemina Clan, a major clan of Poroi 2. The Pawaian people have some of the lowest rates of education and literacy in the world, with a general literacy rate of under 30 percent.
A major challenge in this community is the ability to communicate or engage in meaningful consultation with the project developers and its contractors.
Hence a strategic intervention on education and literacy with a partner who prefers to build long-term partnership and create shared value amongst local communities was to support the delivery of quality education for the local children. TEP PNG thus collaborated with local partner Digicel Foundation PNG to build a first ever double classroom for the Poroi community.
Enhancing Community Spirit
The community and its neighbours provided a fitting welcome for the guests during the launching ceremony in appreciation of the new classroom. School Head Master Mr. Mathias Umba said the new classroom brings pride and confidence with a positive mindset to the students while teachers can have access to proper lighting to prepare extra lessons for students and night studies.
Improving Quality Education
Current classrooms are weathering away fast due to the semi-permanent state of their construction and may not be comfortable or conducive to children’s learning.
The TEP PNG approach is to support education as that is where we plan to source many of our employees. We will also support employment, local industry, and socioeconomic development. Partnering with Digicel Foundation PNG appeared evident to pave the way for improvement and provide a safe environment for the children while enhancing their learning capacity.
Jeremy Roeygens, TEP PNG Limited Environmental and Societal Manager, said the new classroom provides a safe learning environment. He stated that with the low literacy rates in the area, this will help to improve the level of education.