Tewai-Siassi Scholarships targets four sectors

The Tewai-Siassi District Development Authority in Morobe is only sponsoring its students attending teachers’, nursing, agriculture and fisheries colleges in the next five years.

This is because despite the DDA spending more than K8m spent on various tertiary institutions in the past years, there is poor presence of former sponsored students working and serving in the district.

Tewai-Siassi MP, Dr Kobby Bomareo (Pictured), says the DDA under his chairmanship is now stricter in spending its development funds and is reprioritising important sectors’ development.

With the hike in tuition fees for universities and colleges across Papua New Guinea, lately becoming a concern for many students, their parents and sponsors, Tewai-Siassi DDA is also concerned.

Dr Bomareo says a new model will see communities and local level governments having a role in selecting eligible local students to be sponsored and also play host for them when employed back in the district.

Dr Bomareo says, the new criteria will ensure students sponsored by the district are genuine and will go back to serve the district in areas of health, education and agriculture.

Meanwhile, Tewai-Siassi will soon table it’s 5-year development plan for the district and the MP is optimistic to see improvements to service delivery mechanisms in the district.

This will also see the setting up of several new health facilities and schools in the district.

NBC News - Gabriel Lahoc