Madang urban schools face early closure as El Niño persists

Primary schools in Madang Town and surrounding areas may be forced to end the 2026 academic year prematurely if severe El Niño drought conditions persist.

Francis Arigini, headmaster of Holy Spirit Primary School,the largest primary institution in Madang, raised the alarm as schools across the province commenced Term Four classes this week.

Mr Arigini said school boards are still awaiting clear directives and response plans from the provincial education division and the Madang provincial government regarding the prolonged dry spell.

He expressed disappointment that schools have been left to deplete their operational funds to manage severe heat and water shortages without direct intervention from local authorities.

“We held meetings with authorities last term, but there is still zero action on the ground,” Arigini said.

“We are told to do what we can to look after our students, which we are doing, but the authorities remain silent. We do not want a repeat of the Covid-19 response, where assistance was promised but never delivered, leaving us wondering where the funding went.”

He urged provincial disaster and health authorities to immediately conduct awareness campaigns in schools covering heat management, food shortages and disease prevention.

Arigini said financial strain would spill over into the next school year.

“If this El Niño continues for another month or two, we will face serious financial problems at the start of the 2027 academic year because all our funds are being diverted to mitigation efforts,” he said.

During Term Three, Holy Spirit was the only primary school in Madang Urban operating full daily schedules from 8am to 3pm. However, soaring temperatures have forced the school to shorten instruction hours, ending classes at 2pm for Term Four.

“Our main advantage is having running water daily. We pump water into four 9,000-litre storage tanks every night. While this keeps us operational, the cost of running the pumps is high,” the headteacher said.

He added that food insecurity is escalating among students, particularly those residing in settlement communities.

“Many children come to school on empty stomachs or without lunch. Garden produce is becoming scarce and expensive, hitting families who rely on subsistence farming and small-scale vending. It is deeply concerning, and authorities must intervene immediately.”

With crucial Term Four milestones approaching, including the National Grade 8 Examinations and Children’s Day, Arigini said schools urgently need details on how the National Government’s El Niño relief funds will be disbursed.

“We are relying strictly on Tuition Fee-Free funds. Once those run out, we have nothing left,” he said.