Fences to shield students in Tari-Pori

High and secondary schools run by mission agencies in the Tari-Pori district of Hela are receiving permanent fencing to shield students from external threats and ensure campus safety.

The infrastructure rollout is a direct intervention by the Tari-Pori District Development Authority [DDA] to protect children and teachers from local security challenges. The DDA spent K5.3 million last year on education infrastructure, representing 20 per cent of its total education sector budget.

Work is currently progressing on a brick perimeter fence at Habare Secondary School in the Tari Urban local level government [LLG] area. The school is managed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the DDA has allocated nearly K300,000 for the project to secure the school community.

At Walidege Junior High School in the Tagali LLG, materials for a spike fence worth K466,000 have been delivered. Workers are currently welding and assembling the materials before installation begins. The school is run by the Evangelical Church of PNG [ECPNG].

Walidege Junior High principal Isaac Tumbu said the fencing is crucial to protect lives during periods of unrest.

“The most important thing is during tribal conflicts, students can easily be harmed without proper protection. This fence will keep them safe,” Tumbu said.

He said the perimeter would also secure teachers and their families living on campus, while simultaneously preventing students from wandering outside safe zones.

Tumbu thanked local MP and Prime Minister James Marape and the DDA for responding to the security needs of mission-run schools.

Habare Mission Area supervisor Pastor Titus Paul echoed these sentiments, stating that physical security is foundational to an effective learning environment.

“Good fences mean safe schools,” Pastor Paul said. “It protects school buildings and equipment, and gives children a safe place to learn, even when there are tribal conflicts outside the school gate."

Other completed projects under the emergency safety funding include Kulanda Primary School in Tari Urban, run by the Catholic Church.

The school, located at the vulnerable entrance to Tari town, now has a high-quality palisade fence costing K1.1 million. The institution historically serves the children of public servants but has suffered repeated spillover property damage and security disruptions in the past.

Hoiebia Secondary School in the Tebi LLG, run by the United Church, has also received a permanent security fence at a cost of K800,000.

DDA chief executive Jack Walara confirmed that the authority remains committed to building robust physical defenses around schools to ensure that education continues uninterrupted by outside conflicts.