ST JOHN THE APOSTLE CATHOLIC PRIMARY AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
ST JOHN THE APOSTLE CATHOLIC PRIMARY & ELEMENTARY SCHOOL'S BRIEF HISTORY
  • Saint John the Apostle Catholic Parish in Tokarara was formally established as a Parish Community under the Catholic Archdiocese of Port Moresby by in the mid-1970s. That is somewhere between 1973 and 1976. The Community was vibrant and very much alive in the Catholic faith which saw the community grow rapidly. By late 1980s and early 1990s, it was evident that the Catholic Community in Tokarara had grown significantly and showed signs that it was still growing. The many social needs of the people had to be met and one of them was the need for a school to educate their children. The Catholic parishioners were losing out in getting spaces for their children in the government schools within Tokarara and had no choice but to travel distances to get their children into other Catholic Agency Schools in the other suburbs. And this was when the idea of establishing a new school was envisioned, discussed and animated. The idea slowly but gradually picked up momentum and support up until the time when it was ready for the school to be established.
  • In the early 1990s, the then Parish Priest, Fr Ian Langlands, MSC, of St John the Apostle Catholic Parish of Tokarara and few church elders initiated the much-anticipated project of establishing a school. The first task that was set and pursued was the drafting of the project proposal and initiating the submission process with the relevant authorities to acquire the approval to embark on the project of establishing the new This initial phase brought much skepticism and opposition from the respective relevant authorities. Despite these set-backs, the Parish Priest along with his group of determined Parish Elders were not dissuaded or discouraged. They persisted and persisted on until finally they were granted the approval to go ahead and establish the school.
  • After the approval was granted by the Education Department and the Education Division of the Catholic Archdiocese of Port Moresby, the parish team then set into motion phase two of the project. This was the seeking and securing of the funds needed to build the classrooms, office blocks and all the other structures required by criteria to establish a Once the funds were available, the team would then set about to build the first ever classroom buildings. The dream was to build a school within the Parish grounds and so the land behind the church was earmarked and set aside for the establishment of the new school.
  • As the project progressed on and word of the Catholic Community’s intentions became public news, it became evident that the establishment of a new school in the area was a shared desire within the wider community among whom the Catholics were living. It gave that added meaning and purpose to the school project. It was now apparent that it wasn’t only the Catholic Community who were wishing and wanting for another school to be put up within the Tokarara It now became a must that this Catholic Primary School had to be established as soon as possible in the area because there were many non- Catholic children as well who were missing out on education because there were very limited spaces available in the existing government-run schools within the vicinity of the Tokarara suburb.
  • So, after much struggles and very stiff opposition and lack of support from the authorities concerned, the hard work and perseverance came to fruition. Funds were raised, Opinions were swayed, Teachers were engaged and School Management was put in place through an Interim Board of Management.
  • St John the Apostle Catholic Elementary & Primary School was established and started in 1993. Phase three was the actually building of the new school The new school’s first ever classroom building was a makeshift building structure which was built using off-cut timbers from the saw-mill, roofing iron and canvas. The temporary classroom building was built to get the school project off the ground. The funds were made available through the parish collections and donations. The idea was to get the school going while waiting for the funds requested from donor organizations and government departments and SOEs.
  • Eventually some of the much sought after fundings were secured by the new school Administration and new School BOM. The first permanent building was constructed and it accommodated the first ever 2x Elementary classrooms. The total number of student enrolled in both classes combined was about 90 students.
  • From its humble beginnings back in the 1990s, St. John the Apostle’s Catholic Primary and Elementary School in Tokarara has come a very long At the time of the compilation of this very first ever school history biography, the school had existed for 30 years. And the school administration plus the school BOM at that time were considering celebrating the 30 years’ anniversary of the school’s establishment. This was in the year 2023. The school continues to flourish and progress on.
  • Over time, the Catholic parish led by these visionary elders and their parish priest, set about to secure the much-needed funds to build up the 1x building at a time, the school developed and grew. 1x Headteacher after another, the teaching staff was expanded. 1x grade at a time, the level of the school was elevated.
  • Now the school has 5x permanent classroom and storeroom buildings and an ablution block that caters for almost 1200 students. The areas of residence from where the students travel to and from school, ranges from within the Tokarara suburb and out to other suburbs and parts of the city of Port The school also comprises of 27x teachers in the teaching staff and they are supported by about 5x ancillary staff.
  • As of the time of the compilation of this school biography, Saint John the Apostle’s Catholic Primary & Elementary School was a level 6 school in the city of Port As a level 6 school, it comprises of 3x classes of each grade or level from Elementary right up to Grade 8. So, on average, each class averages about 50 students which is a good teacher and student ratio of 1:50.
  • The school is located on the portion of land designated as Section 229 and Allotment 05, along the Iarogaha Place, in the Tokarara suburb of the Moresby North West District. The school shares land and boundaries with the St John the Apostle Catholic Parish grounds.
  • Currently, the school has a total of 27x qualified teachers and a Board of Management assisting the Head Teacher and Deputy Head Teacher with the administration and management of the school and its operations. The school also employs 5x axillary staff to support the school administration in looking after the extra curricula needs of the school.
  • St John the Apostle’s Catholic Primary & Elementary School in Tokarara is one of the top performing Primary Schools in NCD academically and in terms of student As of the time of the compilation of this school history biography, the school had been maintaining this academic standard of excellence for almost 5 years. The school is also a feeder school to some of the top Catholic Agency Secondary Schools in the National Capital District namely;

         1. Jubilee Catholic  econdary School Hohola;                                                           2. De La Salle Catholic Secondary School Bomana;                                                 3. Marianville Catholic Secondary School Bomana;                                                 4. Charles Lwanga Catholic Secondary School Gerehu;                                           5. Lasalle Catholic Technical & Secondary School           

  • Saint John the Apostle’s Catholic Primary and Elementary School in Tokarara can also proudly claim to have graduated many of its ex-students through its system who have gone on to become some of the best professionals in their chosen professions. Lawyers, Doctors, Accountants, Engineers, and many other technical trade fields. There are also a few ex-students who have gone on to become entrepreneurs or self-made business men and women, and who are now actively serving and contributing back to the community and even more, to the country as a whole.
  • The school is continuously working with all its stakeholders namely, the students, teachers, parents, the Board of Management, the Parish, the surrounding community, The NCD Education Division and the Catholic Education Agency to achieve its goals and targets which are set out in its 3x yearly School Learning Improvement Plan, or commonly referred to as the school SLIP.
  • At the time of the compilation of this school history biography, the school was set to mark the 30th Anniversary of the establishment of the School. And, those of us associated with the school at different levels of interest, are very proud to be part of the history of this humble school. We can truly say from our heart that John the Apostle’s Catholic Primary & Elementary School in Tokarara is one of the best schools in the city of Port Moresby. In terms, of not only a top performing school in NCD, but as a community oriented institution, discipline centered education center, strict faith development organization.
  • So, after about 4x parish priests to the Catholic Parish Community, about 5x Headteachers, and a more or less number of Board of Management, Saint John the Apostle’s Catholic Primary & Elementary School in Tokarara is a school focused on achieving greater heights of excellence and aims to develop and produce better citizens of this great country of ours, PNG.
  • This Biography will become a living document which will be updated and edited as Saint John the Apostle’s Catholic Primary & Elementary School progresses on.

 

      Biography compiled by   :         Mr. Noel Kuaningi                                                                                                          BOM Member

      Biography edited by         :         Mr. Charlie Opu                                                                                                               BOM Chairman

      Date of this Edition           :        Tuesday 4th July 3023

 

      POST NOTE:                                                                                                             

This Biography was originally compiled by Mr. Noel Kuaningi on the 13th of June 2023 and edited by Mr. Charlie Opu in collaboration with Mr. Kuaningi. The edition of the Biography that is now being used was finalized on Tuesday the 04th of July 2023. This is the Biography that was agreed to by both Mr. Kuaningi and Mr. Opu as capturing the past of the school in as much details as possible.          

The School’s Biography will remain a work-inprogress document and will be left to the school’s administration and Board of Management to update it as the school pogresses on.

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St. John’s Catholic Primary & Elementary School – Tokarara
P.O Box 1294
Waigani, NCD, Papua New Guinea

Phone: (675) xxx xxxx
Email: admin@sjaps.edu.pg

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