‘From bush materials to bricks’: Lai Valley secondary school dream nears reality

What began as a community effort with bush-material classrooms in 2013 is now taking shape as a permanent secondary school in Lai Valley LLG.

The Lai Valley United Church Technical Secondary School is nearing completion of a state-of-the-art new multipurpose building, funded by the Mendi Munihu District Development Authority [MM DDA]. The steel and brick structure will be opened in December, in time for the school’s first Grade 12 graduation.

The project traces back to December 2013, when Governor William Powi announced K600,000 for the new high school. 16 hectares of land was donated by the United Church and local landowners to make it happen.

Local MP Raphael Tonpi said the new multipurpose building, constructed with steel and brick, is designed to last for many years.

"Such permanent structures boost confidence among students and contribute to improved academic performance. The building is the first of its kind with plans to extend similar construction to other schools in the district," he said.

He said the new developments will address the long-standing problem of students having to travel long distances and live in squatter settlements in Mendi.

“In the district, we have the pioneer Mogol and Mendi Secondary Schools, and then several junior high schools were established including Lai Valley United Church Secondary,” he said.

Tonpi, an educationist and former headmaster of Kip Primary School, also chaired the newly established Lai Valley United Church High School before resigning to contest the Mendi-Munihu Open Seat in 2017 National General Election. He lost that election but won the seat in 2022 and has since prioritized education in the district.

He credited the Lai Valley community for volunteering labour when work started in 2013.

“The hard work of the Lai Valley community who took the initiative to work for free in 2013 are now reaping what they have sown,” he said.

Students selected to Mendi Day Secondary School have previously faced accommodation challenges.

“Those with relatives were lucky, while those without had to squeeze their children into squatter settlements, which affected learning. Town means money, and parents could not afford food or other essentials every day,” he said.

He said Mendi Munihu DDA will continue to prioritize education, calling it key to transforming the district and the nation.