Asaroka Secondary School to shut down

Asaroka Secondary School in the Eastern Highlands Province is at the brink of being closed down due to health risks posed by the high number of student enrollments.

Public Health Director of the Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority Dr. Max Manape revealed this following a monitoring visit to the school recently.

Dr. Manape said that four classes are currently being conducted at the mess hall and is calling on the Education Department, the local Daulo and Goroka MP and other partners to quickly intervene to address the issue and other long term health risks before August 2015 or the health authority will close down the school.

Dr. Manape’s call comes after the school experience a typhoid outbreak in late April this year with over 40 students confirmed to have typhoid and the school was closed for a week.

He said the long term health measures recommended by the Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority was for the school to build new dormitories, classrooms, toilets and ablution blocks for both male and female students.

Dr. Manape said the school is currently implementing the short term measures of building over 20 pit toilets, minimizing number of boarding studentand installing new water tanks.

Dr. Manape said many facilities in the school was build for use by 800 student population and with the current increase in enrollment of over 2000 student it has put more pressure on the facilities thus raising the threat of diseases like typhoid.

He said the school really needs the education department, provincial government, and the district administration to step in to address the health risk.