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| Photo: Courtesy of Patrick and Kellies Melson |
Governor for Hela Province, Hon. Philip Undialu announced today that his government intends to increase the School Fees for 2020, 2021 and 2022 to K10m from K6m piloted out in 2018 and 2019 that benefited over 2500 students throughout PNG and abroad.
With the increase from K6m per year to K10m for 2020, 2021 and 2022, [Hela ] Provincial Government will invest over K42m in direct cash support towards education of our future generation.
One of the challenges we faced was identifying genuine Hela students. We know that many fake people benefited. We have also left out some genuine ones. This time we want to do it better by tying students with coffee planting initiative not only to identify genuine students but also to sustain in the future.
Free handout mentality is killing our society these days.
"My office is full of yellow envelopes asking for money. I see that our people are hardworking but free handout is making them lazy. I must now ask them to grow coffee so after 2022, if am not returned as Governor, coffee will sustain you", said governor Undialu.
Growing minimum of 2, 500 coffee trees will be requirement for every student to receive funding support from us. If you don't grow coffee means you don't have land in Hela. That means, you pretend be be Hela. We will not tolerate your application not just in 2020 but will continue to 2021 and 2022.
Governor Undialu therefore, issued early notice to all Hela Students to return home or organise with your parents or uncles to grow minimum of 2500 coffee trees. School fee voucher will be issued against actual coffee trees planted on the ground.
Coffee growing effort will kick start with the listed 2500 students, 270 ward Councillors and 500 public servants in the province. The 14 LLG Presidents and their LLG Managers will be asked to establish 14 nurseries assisted by our DIP officers and CIS.
So in total we already have 3270 individuals to start with. If each one grows 2500 trees, we expect to grow over 8 million trees.
Total household in Hela (2011 National Census) is almost 70, 000. Each household or family unit should grow coffee to sustain themselves not only for school fees but daily needs.
If Hela can help develop many plantations in the country, we can do it for ourselves. We have huge landmass sitting idle. We have people floating around the cities and sitting, gambling, etc in towns or streets. We have 65% of our 350, 000 of our population under youth category. Many of those never had opportunity to education. But the plain truth is, you don't need a degree qualification to grow coffee.
The Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) will be invited to assist. Later, our partners (LR Group), ExxonMobil and MRDC will join to grow more coffee, establish processing facilities and marketing.
HUEF Coordinator David Liyago will start registering students or their parents who wants to participate. Our DPI officers headed by Geoffery Walabi will liaise with CIC. Presidents, Ward Councillors, Public Servants, Students and their parents should lead by example.
Finally, to Hela people, Oil and Gas will be gone tomorrow. Coffee and Education will sustain our life and our province. I urge everyone to dirty your hands to grow clean money.
Thank you.
Approved for release by Governor Philip Aja Undialu
