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FRIDAY, September 18, 2009
Helping our health
Ailinglaplap health assistant Jiku Johnny, left, and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Grethel Alaniz provide medical treatment to a young patient during Pacific Partnership medical outreach.
Attendance and grades likely to drop
By GIFF JOHNSON
The Ministry of Education has eliminated the lunch program for Majuro schools and top officials believe student attendance and academic performance will drop as a result. Education Secretary Biram Stege says a $700,000 budget cutback in the Ministry’s fiscal year 2010 budget forced the end of the lunch program for all Majuro schools. “When there is a lunch program, attendance is so much better,” Stege told the Journal. “Students don’t miss class.” Now, with no lunch program, many students go home or off campus to eat, and the question is, “will they come back to school?” she asks. Majuro kindergarteners will continue to get a
snack, but lunches are history. “We don’t have the money to fund the lunch program for 2009-10 school year,” she said. The cost to run the program for Majuro last year was $400,000. When the lunch program was restarted several years ago after a hiatus, parents in some Majuro schools chipped in to supplement a shortfall in Ministry of Education funding. MIHS parents at the outset paid about 25 cents per lunch to support the program for their children, but that support waned during the 2008-09 school year, leaving the Ministry to foot the bill. In other schools, parents chipped in by making lunches on alternating days or providing some food. Stege points to two key issues affecting the Majuro school lunch program:
• Nitijela General Fund support — that is, local revenue — for public education in the RMI amounts to less than 10 percent of Education’s annual budget. Virtually all its $22 million budget for public schools for FY2010 is from US funding
sources.
• Many parents of students in Majuro’s public schools are from lower income families who cannot afford to pay money for lunches.
“There is nothing from the General Fund for the school feeding program,” Stege said. “It is funded totally from the Compact or SEG (both US programs). Where is our part?” Stege added: “Many parents cannot afford a few dollars a week. That’s why it’s so important for the
government to realize the importance of this program. We need to give school children one meal a day.” Stege said bluntly of the halt of the Majuro school lunch program: “Attendance will drop.” Because of the Compact’s Ebeye Special Needs fund, the school lunch program for Ebeye public schools is continuing. In addition, the Ministry is continuing its feeding program at its boarding schools in Jaluit and Wotje.
MIHS students and teachers try to reach their classes, while Majuro Middle School students and Rita Elementary School students are trying to reach their school.

Photo: Darren Lanki
$20 million road nixed
This Week's
Inside Stories
Kwajalein
LUA meeting
President Litokwa Tomeing headed a delegation to Kwajalein last weekend to discuss a new Land Use Agreement (LUA) with the landowners of Kwajalein Atoll. A formal meeting was held on Ebeye on Saturday, September 13, with President Tomeing, Minister in Assistance Ruben Zackhras, Minister of Foreign Affairs John Silk, Iroijlapalap Imata Kabua, Iroijlaplap Anjua Loeak, Leroij Likwor Litokwa, and Iroij Rod Nakamura as proxy for Iroijlaplap Nellu Watak, and a number of Kwajalein landowners, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release.
Nitijela debates the high FY10 budget
Frustration was felt through the V7AB radio waves as Nitijela returned to session on Tuesday. A two-week recess allowed Nitijela’s appropriations committee to hold public hearings which focused heavily on the need for the government to reduce its budget. Both Arno Senator Gerald Zackios and Jaluit Senator Alvin Jacklick questioned how the government could propose a budget that is $13 million more that the previous fiscal year when the government has said the current trend is unsustainable.
High schools improve English language skills
Entrance test results for the College of the Marshall Islands show that students in local high schools are performing better in English than two years ago, and CMI’s President said four schools in particular should be commended for good work. “Four high schools show 90-100 percent of their test takers achieving ‘passing’ scores — Assumption High School and Northern Islands High School 100 percent, and Marshall Islands High School and Laura High School 90 percent,” said CMI President Wilson Hess. “This is a singular accomplishment in the data record.”
Imported sand pushes up price of airport road
the runway to the lagoon side of the AMI hangar. The major landfill project would also set the stage for lengthening the runway at a later date. “Complying with RMI EPA’s policy of ‘must import materials,’ the bid package specified that fill materials and armor rocks were to be imported,” Chong Gum said. “Therefore, the bidder was required to price their bid for the project based on imported
A $10 million airport construction project has been cancelled this year because the cost to do the project is about double what the US government provided for the work. The hold up, according to both Marshall Islands Ports Authority and potential contractor Pacific International Inc. (PII), is an EPA requirement for using imported sand and aggregate, which has
Beautify
the
islands... Keep
trash
off the
streets & beaches.
materials only." This resulted in a bid by PII of nearly $20 million, he said. The FAA has directed the project be put out for re-bid. “The rebid is currently being repackaged by the project’s consultant,” Chong Gum said. “One significant change we are proposing to include in the rebid is for bidders to provide two bid prices: one based on imported material for fill and the other based on locally-sourced fill material. Of course, this will be subject to the RMI EPA in agreeing to change their policy regarding importing of materials. We intend to resume discussions with the RMI EPA soon to see if this is a possibility, considering the high cost of using imported materials.”
skyrocketed the price of the project.
But EPA officials say there is no ban on using locally-mined sand — just the requirement that for any new quarry sites, a permit must be sought and an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and a management plan may be required. But ban or not, the planned construction project will not happen this year, as planned, and Ports Authority Director Jack Chong Gum said “plan B” is to put a revised project plan out for re-bidding in January. The US Federal Aviation Administration, which has pumped $40 million into Majuro airport improvements over the past three years, had designated $10 million for a “road realignment” project to move the road by
Leaks shut Laura school
A rain caused significant damage to classrooms at Laura Elementary School late last week, halting classes for about 150 students through Tuesday this week. The Ministry of Education has responded by calling in Public Works, which in turn checked the roof and is getting Anil Construction Co. — which is already mobilized for a different project on the site — to fix the problem. The roof problem has been developing since last year, said LES principal Lanta Elbon. “We haven’t had school since last week Friday,” she said on Tuesday. “The ceiling fell during last Thursday night’s rainstorm. We’ve been having problems with the roof leaking and flooding the classroom for over a year and I’ve been complaining to the Ministry. But we keep being told there is no money to fix it.” Grades one, two and three amounting to 150 students are affected by the problem.

Journal 9/19/1970

Journal 9/23/1974
P1 The US Atomic Energy Commission says tests will continue to monitor the health of the people of Enewetak and Bikini as well as Rongelap and Utrik after the Enewetak people return to their atoll. This was confirmed last weekend during meetings between Enewetakese and Americans. Roger Ray, supervisor of the radiological survey of Enewetak, said some
P1 The US House of Representatives Monday passed by a voice vote a bill to authorize $300 million over the next five years for governmental programs in the Trust Territory.
P1 Washington officials are apparently concerned over the strained relations between the United States and Micronesian leaders. A diplomat specializing in Pacific island affairs has been assigned to the new post of political advisor to the High
Commission. John C. Dorrance is expected to play a key role in the US effort to resolve a deadlock between Washington and Micronesian leaders over the future political status of the islands.
P2 Students attending Rita Elementary School or Marshall Islands High School will no longer have to pay to ride to school. According to Acting District Director of Education Kinja Andrike, bus permits will be issued to students from these two schools. The government has made a contract agreement for three buses with ITSCO, a local transportation company.
P9 Marshalls District Administrator Oscar deBrum told 25 graduates of Majuro’s first Adult Basic Education program that as older people they must continue to guide and assist younger people.
islands, especially Enjebi where the people had hoped to establish a community, would be under restriction.
P1 Trust Territory Legislative Affairs Assistant Neiman Craley says the amount of money appropriated by the Congress of Micronesia during its most recent session far exceeded the total revenue expected. The Congress, Craley said, has been operating within a deficit for the past few years and “each year it seems to get worse and worse.”
P3 I found the enclosed document in the files of the TT Department of Personnel. I don’t know whether it is true or if it is somebody’s idea of a joke. I hope it is true. Maybe one of your readers will know if this is “for real.”
Test of Employment Suitability for Expatriate Applicants for Employment, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
Samples questions: 1) The largest number of expatriate Trust Territory employees is from: a) San Diego; b) Republican Party of Hawaii; c) The Philippines; and d) the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
2) Most stores in Micronesia carry only tobacco products manufactured by RJ Reynolds because: a) a high TT official in the 1950s owned a large block of Reynolds stock; b) Reynolds is the only major tobacco company to put a salesman fulltime I the TT; c) the tobacco companies have divided up the world for purposes of sales, and Micronesia is within the Reynolds area; d) Micronesians prefer Winston, Salem and Camels.
3) The novel that most accurately reflects the current state of affairs in Micronesia is: a) Forster, A Passage to India; b) Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow; c) Carroll, Alice in Wonderland; d) La Farge, Laughing Boy; e) Lewis, Babbitt.
4) Columbus Day is celebrated in Micronesia because: a) Columbus discovered Micronesia; b) Micronesians are all Catholics and Columbus is a Catholic saint; c) Micronesia is part of the US and celebrates all federal holidays.
5) The Trusteeship Agreement is: a) a carefully preserved piece of paper; b) a not-so-carefully preserved piece of paper; c) Micronesia’s equivalent of the Declaration of Independence; d) Micronesia’s equivalent of the US Constitution; e) Micronesia’s equivalent of the Hitler-Stalin pact of 1939.
P10 A baby boy was born on the flight between Majuro and Ponape Wednesday. The new addition to Micronesia is named “Micro” and he was delivered by Dr. (former Senator) Isaac Lanwi and the two Air Mike air hostesses. The mother of the child is Louisa Friendly of Kusaie.

Journal 9/18/1990
P1 Great news for the Majuro brand of couch potato — MBC is on the air! According to Victor Milne, president of the local operation, the television stations is now providing limited service to subscribers in Rita and also as far away as the bridge.
P4 We received a short letter back from the ancient mariner himself, Mike Pope. He asks: “Whatever happened to Gerry Knight?” (a former editor of the Journal). That got us to thinking.
Last we heard from Gerry Knight he was heading out here for the summer and was intending to do another stint of minding the newspaper. But then the summer came and went and we never heard from him. Maybe he just got swallowed up in Chicago or Harvey, Illinois. Who knows?
P10 Police and customs officials in Majuro destroyed more than nine pounds of marijuana that had been confiscated in recent months. Customs representative Mies Peter and Detective Caios Lucky got the illegal substance ready for burning. The illegal substance had been from Pohnpei and Kosrae, and from Majuro, Kwajalein and Maloelap.