DIVISION OF TEACHING AND LEARNING SUPPORT FOR IMPROVEMENT TO GRADE 3 CLASSROOMS AT THE NORTH GOROKA

North Goroka Primary School is a state school in the Goroka District of the Eastern Highlands Province. It was once a demonstration school for the then Goroka Teachers but since the Goroka Teachers College then became a university, the demonstration school concept has not appeared to have had a serious consideration. The University of Goroka, through the Division of Teaching and Learning, has maintained its connection with the school for various reasons such as lesson observations and micro-teaching. The school is famous for having raised the current Prime Minister, Hon Peter O’Neil.

This year, some staff of the Division of the Teaching and Learning came to realise the poor state of affairs particularly at the five Grade 3 classrooms and reported this to the division at its morning tea on the 18th March, 2015. The poor and appalling conditions of the Grade 3 classrooms in this town school raised the concerns of the Division of Teaching and Learning and prompted the staff with their HOD to try and assist the North Goroka Primary School by fundraising to make a difference for its five Grade 3 classes.

Since then the Head of Division for Teaching and Learning, Dr Dovona-Ope, has had a meeting with the North Goroka Primary School principal and had taken a tour of the classrooms to see how her division can assist in improving the classrooms. From the tour, two classes of very young students are sitting on the muddy floor and the other three classrooms are overcrowded and the roofs have holes. This is not how young children should be welcomed to primary school. The general classroom environments are inhabitable and are not conducive for effective environment.

The staff and their HOD of the Division of Teaching and Learning wants to drive a project that will see an improvement in the conditions for the Grade 3 children at the North Goroka Primary School. Consequently, the division has now created a fundraising committee to coordinate fundraising activities to do renovation to improve the Grade 3 classrooms at the North Goroka Primary Schools. This fundraising drive has commenced with division staff contributions at a minimum of K50.00 each to be followed by other fundraising activities for such a worthy cause. It aims to raise some K200,000.00.

With money raised from fundraising activities, the division aims to

a. purchase tables and chairs for the children and their teachers in the five Grade 3 classes;

b. re-seal the concrete floors in all five classrooms;

c. change the broken walls;

d. paint the walls and the cement floors;

e. purchase new boards for the classrooms;

f. purchase of teachers tables & chairs;

g. seal holes on roofing iron and paint roof;

h. Change gutters for roofs;

i. Change doors and deadlocks;

j. Nails/brushes;

k. Tank for safe drinking water;