Our signature project – teachers accommodation

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Angus Mccoll - feature stories

With the involvement of many, the school in Batase village has developed remarkably from a simple building with rock-wall construction to the multiple buildings we have today made from earthquake-safe materials. It is now an important educational centre for the region.

Som explains “When I left Batase at age 11, I remember there were no girls attending school and only about 15 students in total at the school.
Now the school has over 50% female attendance and 235 students enrolled. The school is now unrecognisable from when I attended. The facilities have improved, the building is earthquake safe and the students are proud to attend.”

FHC has been an active part of the schools development and now we want to take it even further. For now the school can take students through to Year 10 but we want to see the curriculum expanded to include high school. Currently students must move away to bigger centres to complete their Years 11 and 12.

The teaching infrastructure is here but now we need quality staff and to attract quality staff and have them stay, we need quality accommodation for them. The more comfortable they are, the longer they will stay.

FHC aims to construct a student’s and teacher’s accommodation with enhanced facilities to attract and retain high-calibre teachers to this remote school in Batase Village. We have the land prepared and now we have architectural drawings.

There will be 16 rooms to sleep 64 students (or 12 rooms to sleep 48 students + 4 rooms for teachers with en-suite basins).

The building will include: A 16 x 8ms open-plan ground floor which could be divided into classrooms or more accommodation; Solar power and hot water on roof; Two toilets and two showers per floor; Attached kitchen, laundry and dinning room with toilets and basin; Space for a volley-ball court and a veggie patch in yard.

The land has been prepared and is ready for constructions to begin.