Bela primary school reopens after 2 decades of closure

Students and parents gathering for the first day registration last week at Bela Primary School in the Mendi Munihu District (Image: Supplied)

Bela Primary School in Karinz village, Southern Highlands, has resumed classes for the 2026 academic year after being closed for nearly 20 years.

Parents, community leaders and students gathered with excitement to witness children once again learning within their own community.

The reopening marks the end of a long and difficult chapter for the people of Bela, in Mendi Munihu District, whose school was destroyed during a tribal conflict two decades ago.

Since then, children were forced to walk long distances to attend schools in neighboring areas, often facing safety risks and high dropout rates.

Mendi Munihu MP Raphael Tonpi, a former teacher, said the struggles faced by parents and students motivated him to prioritize education in the district.

He said the reopening of Bela Primary School is part of a broader education reform under the Mendi Munihu District Development Authority [DDA].

“Out of the 18 new primary schools established in the district, Bela Primary is one of them. These schools are fully staffed, and teachers have already taken up their postings,” Tonpi said.

Most of Bela Primary School's Infrastructure were destroyed by a tribal conflict many years ago. The Mendi Munihu DDA funded the construction of classrooms and staff houses. School has reopened for this academic year (Image: Supplied)

He said DDA provided K50,000 in funding to each of the 18 newly established primary schools, along with 250 iron roofing sheets per school to support classroom and teachers houses construction.

“Establishing a new primary school, securing registration and creating teaching positions is not an easy process," he said. "We also ensured that all schools received their share of the Government’s Tuition Fee Free [TFF] funding."

Tonpi said alongside establishing new schools, the DDA has upgraded many existing primary schools to higher levels to accommodate increasing student populations. This has also created more teaching positions, providing employment opportunities for teachers.

He outlined major developments at the secondary and technical education levels, saying several new high schools have been established and registered, with new positions created.

Mogol and Mendi Day Secondary School have both been upgraded to Level 10 status, each now accommodating 54 teachers. Meanwhile, Lai Valley Technical has been upgraded to Level 9, with nearly 30 teaching positions.

In addition, three new Technical Vocational Education and Training [TVET] centers have been formally registered, bringing the total number of TVET institutions in the district to five.

“I believe our district now has more education institutions than any other district in the country,” Tonpi said.

The MP also reaffirmed his support for the national 1-6-6 education policy, saying it is here to stay and must be embraced by all stakeholders.

“Everyone must work within the timelines and systems. Those who fail to do so will be left behind,” he said.

Tonpi said the long-term vision is to ensure that every village or council ward has access to a school, allowing children to learn within their communities while teachers and other public servants live among the people they serve.