The Umi TVET School in the Markham District in Morobe, has opened four new buildings funded by the European Union at a cost of K3.5 million
The buildings, include four teachers’ houses and two ablution blocks. The facility will serve students studying Tourism and Hospitality Management, Mechanical and Engineering.
First-year female student undertaking the Tourism Course, Pricilla Kanip said during the opening of the buildings, “I appeal that they provide us with a restaurant and a guesthouse to help develop our practical skills.”
Morobe is one of six provinces selected by the National Planning Office to benefit from the Projects funded by the European Union and the Umi Vocational Training Center is the second recipient of EU’s Human Resource Development Program of infrastructure.
The four new tools workshops were the school’s major infrastructure developments since the school’s establishment in 1993.
Morobe has nine TVET Schools in Seven districts. Nawaeb and Tewai-Siasi districts are yet to establish one.
In 2016 The Bulolo Technical School and Umi Vocational Center were selected to benefit from European Union’s HRDP Phase two program that includes teacher’s training and infrastructure development.
The European Union has been one of PNG’s major development partners since 1977.
European Union’s Ambassador to PNG, Ioannis Giogkarakis Argyropoulos who was also present during the ceremony said, “The European Union comes to the support of PNG, when extra ordinary needs arise. On top of that also, I am very pleased that we are about to launch in PNG, a world wide initiative that we do with United Nations, to support the efforts of the Government to address Gender Based Violence and this is also added onto the program which is around seventy-five million kina, it’s a very big program.”
Markham MP, Konnie Iguan thanked the European Union for their assistance with the provisions. “ What the National Government has given me through DSIP, I can’t afford to build such infrastructure.
Necessary tools, equipment and machines were also supplied to Bulolo Technical School and Umi Vocational Center to equip the new workshops built by Atlas Steel.
In previous years, little support has been given to TVET schools in the province to cater for the large number of students who unable to continue to tertiary institutions.
