The seed of Montfort Boys’ Town was sown when three Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel namely, Bros. John Hurtubise, Gerard Savoie, and Bernard Chabot from the province of Canada set foot on PNG soil on January 20, 1968, to assist the Diocese of Daru Kiunga in the field of Education. They started working mostly in the Church-run schools and sometimes in the Government schools apart from the diocese in its mission. In 1983, the Brothers from the Province of Singapore-Malaysia replaced the Brothers from Canada and established Montfort Boys’ Town to provide vocational training to the school dropout boys in the place where St.Gabriel’s Tech. Secondary School stands today.
The inmates of Boys’ Town were taught Carpentry and joinery, Metalworksand fabrication and Motor Mechanic trades. At the same time, Montfort Boys’ Town rendered another service to those who had dropped out of the formal system by registering with the FODE so that they could complete their education or improve their grades. This is the service that Boys’ Town continued until 2011.
In 2000, the Brothers from the Provinces of India replaced the brothers from Singapore-Malaysia and converted Montfort Boys Town into Kiunga Montfort Technical High School, a system school and opened the doors to the girls as well with three sections of Grade nine and in the following year another three sections of Grade ten with a capacity of 40 students in each section.
In 2004, Bros. Philip Chacko and Kata Barthalom from Delhi Province took over the PNG mission. On 11 February 2009, The Secretary for Education, Dr. Joseph Pagelio gave the approval of the change of the name from Kiunga Montfort Technical High School to St. Gabriel’s Technical Secondary School and the change of the status from Vocational to Technical Secondary. Thus the school enrolled the students in Grade 11 from the year 2010 with three sections of grade 11 and the following year grade 12 with three sections.
At present the strength of the school is 700 students and 30 teachers and 10 Ancillary staff. The boarding for the boys and girls started in 2007 and at present, there are 300 students residing in the boarding both boys and girls. The school offers both Academic and Technical subjects to all the students. The school is Known as “The Model school” in the province because of the standards, moral values, discipline, Academic performance, Facilities, Good environment, Management, and good behavior of the students and the teachers. The school has a parents’ association and the board of Governors which help the school run smoothly. The FIHM Sisters have been collaborating in the school since 2004 until now. We have two local Brothers and hoping to get more vocations in the coming years.