After decades of inadequate school facilities, the people of Navuapaka in Kairuku District are celebrating a new chapter in education following the opening of a K300,000 double classroom at Navuapaka Primary School.
The new two-in-one classroom facility was officially opened on June 30 by the Member for Kairuku and Minister for Energy, Peter Namea Isoaimo, marking a significant milestone for a community that has long faced challenges in providing quality learning facilities for its children.
Before the establishment of Navuapaka Primary School in the early 1980s, school-aged children walked nearly 10 kilometres each day along village tracks and sections of an abandoned provincial road to attend Delena Primary School. The community later established its own school to bring education closer to home, but inadequate infrastructure remained a challenge for generations of students.
Despite being located about 150 kilometres from Port Moresby, the school continued to operate with ageing facilities. Grade 6 student, Angelica Aihi said poor classroom conditions frequently affected classes.
"When the weather is fine, we have classes, and when there is rain, we go home happily, play and wash in the rain because there's no classes. But our teachers are left sad, thinking about how they will cover the lessons we missed."
Her remarks reflected the daily reality faced by many students, whose education was often interrupted by rain and deteriorating classrooms.
The newly completed double classroom, constructed by Korekai Building & Maintenance, features tiled floors and modern learning spaces designed to provide students and teachers with a safer and more conducive learning environment.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Minister Isoaimo said education remains one of the district's highest priorities and pledged continued investment in improving facilities at Navuapaka Primary School.
"Education opens the doors to opportunity, and this building is the gateway. I urge every student to treat it as your own, for it is within these walls that you will gain the knowledge, skills, and values needed to shape your future and contribute to the development of our nation," he said.
He also committed to delivering additional infrastructure projects for the school in the coming years to further improve educational opportunities for children in the community.
Hundreds of students, parents, village leaders and community members gathered to welcome the Minister and witness the official opening, describing the occasion as a historic moment for Navuapaka.
For residents, the new classroom represents more than improved infrastructure. It symbolises years of perseverance and a renewed commitment to ensuring children have access to quality education close to home.
The project also comes as Navuapaka sits within the economic corridor of the Papua LNG development, with community leaders expressing hope that continued investment in education will help prepare future generations to benefit from opportunities created by major resource projects.
For a community where children usually walk long distances simply to attend school, the opening of the new classroom marks the beginning of a new chapter.
