Divine Word University opens supermarket on Madang campus

Captions: 1.The front of the Diwai Mart Mini supermarket with the two automatic teller machines of two commercial banks on either side of the entrance before the facility was opened recently. 2. President of the Students Representative Council at Divine Word University Robroy Chicki cuts the ribbon to the Diwai Mart mini supermarket as his female vice Joanne Kilip looks on at the Madang campus recently.

 

A mini supermarket that will help fund a laptop computer for each student at Divine Word University beginning next year opened at the Madang campus recently.

The one-laptop-per-student project is part of the DWU’s “paperless university” policy which comes into effect next year. 

Student Representative Council president Robroy Chicki and his vice female Joanne Kilip opened the flashy new supermarket, named Diwai Mart, in the presence of DWU’s academic vice-president Br Andrew Simpson, staff and students.

The facility was opened by the DWU chaplain Fr Edward Meli.

The two student leaders said students and the university community should be proud of the new supermarket as they would serve them.

Ms Kilip said as students the presence of a supermarket makes life easier for them as they do not have to travel to town for basic necessities and services including access to the banks’ automatic teller machine.

Br Simpson in urging the students and the university community to appreciate the new facility said proceeds from Diwai Mart would be used to finance a laptop each for all students starting next year.

“It is a very significant time for the University to see the development of supermarket.

“It belongs to you and profits from it will finance a free laptop,” said Br Simpson.

The supermarket has a bakery, a hair salon, a kai bar, ice cream parlor and two ATMs belonging to Bank South Pacific and ANZ Bank respectively.

The paperless policy will require all academic and administrative work to be done using the ICT facilities provided by the university and limit the use of paper and printed material to unavoidable circumstances.