Tabubil International School

Tabubil International School

• Tabubil International School provides a high quality international school education catering to the varied needs of Tabubil's multicultural mining community. The school employs a well motivated and productive staff, with good working conditions and a high degree of community involvement.
• Tabubil International School has approximately 170 students and 7 full time teachers. It offers education for children from Prep to Grade 7. All teaching rooms are well equipped as well as being fully air-conditioned.
• The diversity of cultures and backgrounds of the children make for a very special school. About 85% of students are PNG citizens with the remainder being mostly Australians and a few other nationalities. Each child has a contribution to make to the school which aims to ensure that children are treated as special and distinct individuals.
• The school follows the mandatory outcomes based curriculum framework issued by the IEA. Within this framework, policies and their practice are derived from a variety of sources in keeping with the international nature of the school.
• The school is well resourced with a well equipped library and ample teaching materials. An up-to-date computer network (with Internet connection) is also available for student use and for computer education.
• Both the school and the International Education Agency organise regular inservice activities to promote teacher professional development.
• School hours commence at 8.15am and finish at 2.15pm. There is a 20 minute morning recess, and a 45 minute lunch break.
• The school offers a wide range of extra-curricula activities and capitalises on the skills of teachers, parents and community members to present these programs; i.e. computer studies, music, drama, art and craft, and a variety of sports.
• Teachers are accommodated in housing adjacent to the school. Accommodation is fully furnished. Accommodation includes hard furnishings and basic white goods (cooker, fridge, washing machine and dryer). The school provides a range of kitchenware and a television.

Tabubil Township

• Tabubil was built to provide the service centre and administration headquarters for the giant Ok Tedi mining operation situated 35 kilometres from the town. The mining company manages the town and virtually all inhabitants are involved in some way with the mine.
• The town is extremely isolated and surrounded by dense forest. Apart from within the town, the road up to the mine site and to Kiunga there is virtually no road network. The airport is literally in the centre of town, and provides the only practical connection with the rest of the country. Air transport is readily available, but not cheap.
• Tabubil is famous for its very high rainfall - about 8 metres per year. It is always warm and understandably quite humid, although the 500-metre altitude helps alleviate this. Houses have air conditioning and ceiling fans. Short periods of rainfall can lead to shortages of some items.
• Power and water supplies are reliable with only occasional breaks in supply.The district offers wonderful opportunities for bush-walking and for travel both within PNG and Indonesia, and excellent natural history and forest land.The town has a population of 10,000 and basic amenities commensurate with a town of that size. This includes the mining company doctors who can provide a similar level of care and service as would be expected from a general practitioner in Australia. In the event of a serious illness evacuation to Australia can be arranged immediately. There is a fully stocked pharmacy.
• There are 2 banks in town providing full banking services.
• The town has two supermarkets providing basic needs and a range of specialist products. Occasionally some items are unavailable anywhere in town for short periods. Dairy products are expensive and not always available, so UHT milk is widely used.
• There is one hardware store. Choice of electrical appliances is very limited, and items are generally very expensive.
• The town market is small, open daily and supplies a restricted range of fruit and vegetables. Some fruit, notably apples and oranges, is imported and can generally be found in the supermarkets.
• Recreation activities available for adults and children include golf, squash, swimming, fitness, aerobics, Hash House Harriers, tennis, rugby and soccer. There is a swimming pool. Caving and adventure type trips are possible if you are fairly fit.
• There are no night clubs, libraries, book shops or theatre.
• The town has a single hotel with bar and restaurant, and 2 sports clubs with meals and bars available on some nights.
• The national newspaper, which includes international news, is available 5 days a week and The Weekend Australian is usually on sale, but magazines are scarce and expensive.
• There is a cable TV service in all houses providing the PNG TV service (EM TV) as well as Australian and International TV stations covering movies, sports, news and general interests. Radio reception is poor except for local stations.