The Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) is supporting students along the Kokoda Track with school fee assistance this year.

KTA will meet 100 percent tuition fees for landowner students along the track whose parents cannot afford to meet their children's tuition fees, while 70 percent of the fees will be met by the KTA for working class parents that reside in Port Moresby city.

KTA Chairman, Mr. Jack Deia says the school fee assistance program will cater for students attending various tertiary institutions and Universities in the country.

He says it is a massive undertaking by the KTA to recognize communities and villages along the track through the school fee assistance program.

He said the school fee assistance program was part of the package the new board of the KTA prioritized when it came into office in 2024.

" KTA gets government funding of K5 million annually, that gives space for the tracking fees we collect around K1.2million annually.

'' That money (tracking fees) was supposed to go back to the communities along the track. However, that has never eventuated since the establishment of KTA.

"Last year, the board decided to use the government funding to run the affairs of the KTA and resolved to use the track fees to give back to the people, in the form of school fee assistance program,” Deia said.

He said there are no economic benefits on the track and locals find it hard to generate revenues to cater for their children's education.

" So, we are giving back to the communities through the school fee assistance program," he said.

He said last year KTA rolled out over K200,000 for the school fee assistance program.

He said this year, KTA is expected to rollout K300, 000 to K400, 000 with the influx of students coming in for assistance.

Meanwhile, he said KTA will do away with overseas sponsorship that is too costly.