Japan’s GGP Grant to Palau High School
2019/10/8
Japan Hands Over School Bus to Palau High School
On October 4, 2019, Ambassador Akira Karasawa from the Embassy of Japan formally handed over a school bus to Palau High School. The handover ceremony for “The Project for School Bus Procurement for Palau High School” was held at Palau High School (PHS) and attended by Minister of Education Sinton Soalablai and other related personnel from the Ministry of Education.
There are more than 250 students who commute to PHS from Babeldaob by school bus. However, some students often arrive late to their morning classes due to the insufficient number of school buses PHS can arrange for them. Therefore, the Embassy of Japan decided to grant a brand new 30-seater bus to PHS to improve the situation.
At the ceremony, Ambassador Karasawa expressed his hope that in this special year of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Palau, the implementation of this project would contribute to further development of Palau High School and its students. Minister Soalablai conveyed his appreciation to the Japan Government for its continuous support to the Ministry, and to the people of Japan who cares about Palauan students to fill their needs. In addition, Principal Rdang stated that the procurement of this bus will allow students to have more opportunities to go for field trips as well as to participate in extracurricular activities outside of school.
The Government of Japan launched GGP in 1999, for the purpose of responding to various development needs engaged in grassroots activities in Palau. As of October 4, 2019, the Embassy has signed 78 grant contracts with schools and hospitals as well as state governments and non-profit organizations. Education, health care and environment are the primary fields prioritized by Japan for GGP in order to contribute to sustainable development of Palau. For further information about GGP, please contact 488-6455 or visit the Embassy of Japan website at https://www.palau.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html.
Japan’s GGP Grant to Palau High School
On, January 31, 2019, Charge d'Affaires Takeshi Ogino of the Embassy of Japan and Principal Smyth Rdang of Palau High School (PHS) signed the grant contract for “The Project for School Bus Procurement for Palau High School,” valued $107,245, under the Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP). The signing ceremony was held at the Embassy of Japan and witnessed by Minister of Education Sinton Soalablai, Chief of School Management Raynold Mechol and PHS Student Body President Joyah Ngiraiwet.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) started operating two 60-seater buses to transport high school students from Babeldaob to Koror in 2010. However, these buses deteriorated beyond their useful lives and are out of order now. To accommodate more than 250 students who need transportation both from Babeldaob and Koror, PHS is utilizing two 15-seater vans and borrowing four MOE buses which are shared with elementary schools. As the MOE buses prioritize transportation for elementary school students, PHS students are often late for morning classes. Also the buses are operating beyond their seating capacities in order to minimize their trips, so there are some safety issues.
A new 60-seater bus was procured by MOE to provide rides for students from the west-Babeldaob states, but there is still a need of safe and reliable transportation for students from east-Babeldaob. Given this, the Embassy of Japan decided to grant a brand new 30-seater bus to PHS.
In his remarks at the ceremony, Charge d'Affaires Ogino expressed his hope that the implementation of this project would lead to further development of PHS, whishing its students could commute to school safely and attend many activities. Minister Soalablai showed his appreciation for Japan’s continuous support to schools and emphasized the importance of school buses as they largely contribute to high attendance rate of students at schools.
The Government of Japan launched GGP in 1999, for the purpose of responding to various development needs engaged in grassroots activities in Palau. As of January 31, 2019, the Embassy has signed 75 grant contracts with schools and hospitals as well as state governments and non-profit organizations. Education, health care and environment are the primary fields prioritized by Japan for GGP in order to contribute to sustainable development of Palau. For further information about GGP, please contact 488-6455.
