Most lecturers at the Gaulim Teachers College in East New Britain Province are living in run down houses, which were built by the United Church long before independence.
Lack of staff housing, deteriorating facilities and the geographical setting of the college is contributing to the staff shortage.
The current teacher per student ratio at the college is one is to twenty eight.
This is slightly above the required ration one is to twenty six.
Gaulim Teacher’s College is managed by the United Church of Papua New Guinea, and most of the staffs live in the houses provided by the college.
The school has a teaching capacity of 35 lecturers.
However, Gaulim is still short of 8 teachers, and has a total student population of almost 700 students.
Because the school is run by a church agency, it does not have the capacity to maintain its facilities.
It relies heavily on the money collected from the students boarding, and lodging fees, to fund renovations for its infrastructures.
Recent renovations to staff houses commenced in 2011 and are still continuing.
To date, about 5 houses have been renovated.
This is the principle’s house.
At one point, about 6 lectures and their families lived on this one house.
There is still classroom shortage and the administration is building a temporary classroom to accommodate its students.
Land has been allocated to build new houses but the school needs funding support.
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