MANDULUA Community High School urged communities within the area to support the school’s development programmes.
The school’s deputy principal Jones Ofaga raised this during the opening of Mandulua Community High School new classroom building, Thursday.
Mr Ofaga said so many challenges were faced by Mandulua Community High School but none of these issues were addressed.
He said some of the problems faced by the school are:
- Lack of staff housing
- Teachers shortage to teach forms three, five and six
- Lack of community support
- Lack of discipline
- Lack of teaching materials for the school’s home economics, science labs and carpentry classes
Mr Ofaga said staff housing is the responsibility of communities within the school’s catchment area.
“We cannot stand and look at the horizon for a cargo of materials and money to come for our benefits.
“We are sitting on free land with soil, river, trees, fish and birds.
“These are our resources and we should utilise these for our development,” Mr Ofaga told the hundreds of community representatives witnessing the opening ceremony.
He urged the communities to put together “their blessed hands” to build Mandulua School to show Malaitans, Solomon Islands and the world their seriousness towards educational development for Mandulua future generations.
With regards to the issue of staff shortage, Mr Ofaga urged the Malaita educational authority to seriously look into this problem.
He said many of their teachers have been posted out to other schools – living an unfilled gap within the school.
He said the educational authority must encourage youths to do teaching so that youths can return to their respective communities to teach.
“These are potential young people and it should be a goal to ensure these students take up teaching so that they can return and become teachers for this school,” the headmaster said.
He also challenged parents to support the school in disciplining their children.
He said the new classroom building can only be looked after if there is discipline and respect for school facilities among students.
By WILLIAM EKOTANI
in Auki