GIRLS attending the Morobe Technical High School in Huon Gulf, Morobe, are
appealing to government authorities to look into the water situation at the school. The school has been without proper and clean water supply for five years. Water for drinking and cooking has to be fetched from the Waria River. They do their laundries and have their baths in the river. The school only has two water tanks, one of which is for staff. The tank for students has been empty for some time, forcing them to use the river. The ablution block has been closed because of the water problem. Two pit toilets were dug a few hundred metres from the girls’ dormitories. But the pit toilets are now full and the girls are forced to use the river. They said it was not safe to use the pit toilets at night or walk through the bush to the river. They are concerned the dormitory houses more than 70 girls, with four to a cubicle. Huon district administrator Robin Bazinuc said while the school was located in the district, it was the responsibility of the provincial government. Bazinuc, who visited the school this month, said he would forward the report on the school to the provincial government. THE government’s priority to accelerate skills-based training is gaining
momentum, with the opening of K1.9 million West New Britain Technical College. Minister for Education Nick Kuman opened the college last week to the applause of about 900 students and a large crowd, including parents, teachers and representatives from the Department of Education and provincial administration. The college, at Mora Mora, in Talasea district, has two 80-bed dormitories for male students, an ablution block and dining facilities funded by the Department of Education under the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme. Kuman said the opening of the facilities marked another milestone in the development of education in the country, especially in the TVET sector. THE Papua New Guinea Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
qualifications framework is consistent with those in other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Minister for Education Nick Kuman said. Speaking at the opening of a provincial technical college in West New Britain last week, Kuman said the qualifications obtained by students in the six technical colleges, two business colleges, a polytechnic institute, 10 community colleges and 124 vocational centres in the country were compatible to those in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and the Philippines. “Such equivalency is important in terms of international recognition of the skills and qualifications of Papua New Guineans,” he said. He said TVET provided the majority of the workforce throughout the world. A GROUP of teachers hopes to improve the teaching of the English language and
literacy at all levels in the country. They are members of the Papua New Guinea Network of English Teachers who met last Friday at the University of Papua New Guinea. The members want to improve themselves and their teaching practices through academic and professional interaction. The group is committed to addressing the decline in English language literacy at all levels of education through collaborative research and proposal for quality assurance benchmarks in the teaching of the language. “It seems that English teachers in PNG have no voice in the practical learning environment and the UPNG is starting to address the problem of English language in PNG,” chairman Johnson Kalu said. He said there was no Department of English of its own but UPNG was starting to develop English language literacy by creating a division in the School of Humanities and Social Science. It hopes to provide a voice for English language teachers. The meeting discussed the need for English teachers to meet often especially those in Port Moresby. The teachers have been concerned about the decline in the standard of English in schools and universities and wanted to find solutions to the problem. Solutions suggested included material development, material evaluation, teaching, conference, seminars, workshops, short courses and research. With limited internet access in rural areas, one school in Central Province has ventured into Electronic Learning using Future School.
An online learning Computer Software, designed to teach basic numeracy and literacy to students from grades one to twelve. Today, over thirty teachers from Mount Diamond Secondary School, graduated with certificates after successfully completing week long training on the software. Located in the Kairuku Hiri- District, and established in 1972, Mt Diamond is the first Adventist school in PNG to take on board Future School. This program is created specifically to assist students learn at their own pace. The software takes 20 minutes to install and can be accessed from anywhere on campus as long as it connected to the Local Area Network or LAN. The teachers are looking forward to introducing the new program to students when they resume next Tuesday. Kombil, said they are anticipating seeing positive results at the end of the second term. He encouraged other schools to try out the program saying, it is meant for schools in rural Papua New Guinea. The Higher Education Minister, Delilah Gore, who was in Lae today said education policies in the country have let students down.
Minister Gore’s comment comes in response to a high rate of school leavers, leaving school without finding jobs. She says the commission of higher education will revisit old education policies to create new policies to address problems such as the high number of school dropouts. The forum hosted by the Commission for Higher Education today, at 10 mile just outside of Lae, brought together a group of thinkers. They gathered as part of their annual event to discuss issues affecting tertiary institutions in the country. Present amongst the group was the Higher Education Minister, Delilah Gore. Thoughts put together in the meeting will go a long way in what is to become the next fundamental step in achieving quality education in PNG’s tertiary education system. Over the last two decades, blame has been leveled against the outcome-based Education system that left many students producing poor results. The reform in the early 1990’s was meant to allow more students to go to school. The result produced by the students at the end of grade ten and twelve, however, don’t appear to be compelling enough to secure them a space in tertiary institutions. The Higher Education Minister says that old ways used by the education system in the country have ceased to work and that the education system has to come up with new ways to face the future problems in the education sector. Education Secretary, Dr. Michael Tapo, has cracked the whip on the Holy Rosary Primary School and the Catholic Agency following the attack on the National School Survey Task Force yesterday.
Doctor Tapo told EMTV News today that he has directed the Provincial Education Board to investigate the matter. He said a formal announcement will be made to students and staff on Monday on the indefinite suspension of classes. This, he indicated, is a warning to schools nationwide who do not welcome government initiatives. Dr. Tapo was furious about the news of the attack on the National School Survey Task Force and teachers at the Holy Rosary Primary School yesterday. He told EMTV News that this was a misunderstanding between parents, students and surrounding communities. The secretary has issued directives to suspend classes for a week. Officers from the education department will be at the school on Monday to meet with the school administration to investigate the incident and also carry out awareness. Dr. Tapo explained that this survey is a trial and a submission will be made in parliament this month. He said once this is made a policy, it will be a compulsory process for all staff and students in the fourteen-thousand plus schools in the country. Dr. Tapo said that if such incidents occur, the school responsible will automatically miss out on school subsidies provided by the national government under the Fee Free Education Policy. EMTV A TEAM from the Education Department was attacked at a school in Port Moresby after its members were accused of putting satanic marks on the students.
The incident happened at the Holy Rosary Elementary School and Primary School in Port Moresby. Parents and students attacked the officials after accusing them of marking students with the “666” sign under the pretext of collecting data. A department official said the team was assigned by the department to roll-out its National Capital District Smart (i) Technology Programme. It is to update and transmit data from schools in the city to the department via internet. Attempts by The National to get a comment from Education Secretary Dr Michael Tapo and NCD metropolitan commander Supt Andy Bawa were unsuccessful. Some Christians link the 666 sign to satanic and anti-Christ beliefs. Elementary school head teacher Maro Alau said a man and woman were badly beaten at the school after students informed their parents about what the team members were allegedly doing to them. “By-standers attacked the other members of the team and took four laptops and other data collecting equipment,” he said. He said a teacher was also attacked and had her phone stolen. Alau said the team first came to the school on Wednesday. THE first teachers college in Milne Bay and the Southern region is to become a reality following the groundbreaking ceremony at the site at Hagita, outside Alotau, yesterday.
Governor Titus Philemon and National Planning Minister and Alotau MP Charles Abel officiated to to signal the start of construction of the college. The college will be developed jointly by the Milne Bay provincial government and the Catholic Diocese of Alotau and Sideia. When operational, it will be run and managed by the Catholic Church. It will be called the St Mary’s Teachers College of Milne Bay. Speaking at the event, Philemon said it marked a major milestone in the history of the province. He said after just seven months of talking and planning, the groundbreaking ceremony signalled the start of construction of the newest teachers college in the country. He then presented K130,000 to the Catholic Church for the ground works. The provincial government, through the Provincial Services Improvement Programme (PSIP), allocated K1 million this year for the start of the project. The national government and donor agencies are expected to provide funding to complete the college. It begin its first intake in early 2016. Philemon said the teachers college was the pace setter for the Government’s Church-Government Partnership programme. Abel commended the partnership between the church and government and that the Government was fully supporting the development of the college. Acting Vicar-General of the Catholic Diocese of Alotau/Sideia, Fr Abel Tuilik thanked Philemon and Abel for their trust in the Catholic Church. He said the church was committed to the relationship they had. Citizens of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu seeking study opportunities in the United States can now do so.
The U-S government has announced its flagship education exchange program, the William J. Fullbright graduate scholarship program for 2015, inviting citizens of these three countries to apply. Applications will close on May 16. The successful candidate will be able to earn a Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Public Administration, or a Master of Law degree. Scholarship recipients receive a tuition grant for their course work and a monthly stipend to cover living expenses at their host institution. Recipients also receive roundtrip transportation and health benefits. In addition, recipients may also attend special enrichment activities through out their program. These activities are excellent opportunities to network with fellow international Fulbright recipients and to interact with prominent Americans across a range of professional fields. The selected candidate may be required to travel to the United States as early as August 2015, for pre-academic programs. Meantime, only online applications will be accepted. Meantime, applications are also opened for the 2015 Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program for Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu citizens. The ten-month fellowship consists of academic coursework and an internship in a relevant professional organization. |
: Get Free Webpage for your School. Send us your School Profile now
>> STUDY IN PNG Follow PNG Online School |