Three schools in and around Lae have received a combined 3,000 books to mark International Literacy Day, giving hundreds of students’ greater access to learning and reading resources.

The donation was facilitated by Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP), with each school receiving 1,000 books valued at K13,800.

The beneficiary schools are Amba Demonstration Primary School, Bumayong Lutheran Secondary School and Situm 7th Australian Division Memorial Primary School.

The books are designed to support students across different age groups and learning levels, from young children to secondary students.

The School Library Kits include storybooks, activity books, dictionaries, atlases, teacher reference materials and general information and research books.

The organisation says the books were carefully selected and packed according to the learning needs and age groups of each school.

The library kits were presented by Australian Consul-General in Lae Brenton Kanowski, Express Freight Management Project Manager Gerald Pagdanganan, Captain Christopher Lenton of the Australian Defence Force and BbP teachers.

Mr Kanowski said Australia was proud to support partnerships that give more children in Papua New Guinea access to books and quality learning resources.

“Education is central to opportunity, community resilience and Papua New Guinea’s future prosperity.”

The delivery of the books was also supported by logistics partners SEAFAST and Express Freight Management, with the latter assisting with the transportation of the books from Port Moresby to Lae and onward to the schools.

The Australian Defence Force also provided logistical assistance to deliver books to Situm 7th Australian Division Memorial Primary School, which requires four-wheel-drive vehicles to access the school.

BbP Founder Anne-Sophie Hermann said the donation was particularly meaningful because some of the schools had gone decades without books for their students.

She said investing in education was one of the most rewarding investments a country could make.

More School Library Kits are expected to be delivered to schools and communities in other parts of Papua New Guinea in the coming weeks.

These include Emmanuel Primary School on Muschu Island in East Sepik, Koravake Primary School in Kikori District, Gulf Province, and a community reading corner in Rigo.