EVERY student from Southern Highlands studying at universities will be included in a provincial human capital investment data, according to Governor William Powi.
“We are trying to consolidate our statistics of human capital capacity to weigh our strengths to build more on and make Southern Highlands develop. It is through education that the province will develop,” he said. Powi paid the University of Goroka on Wednesday tuition fees for 160 Southern Highlands students there. He briefed the students on what his plans for the province regarding human resource development. Powi said the provincial government wanted to keep track of the progress of every student every year. “We would like monitor how many students are graduating this year and in what discipline and how many are doing first, second, third and fourth years,” he said. “With the necessary information, we will be in a better position to allocate money to support them and create employment opportunities for them.” The provincial government had allocated K2 million to assist students in tertiary institutions this year. Southern Highlands Students Association president Presley Ipe thanked Powi and the province for the assistance. He welcomed the initiative to establish partnership with the universities and recruit the best students from Southern Highlands to work in their province. “The new approach you embark on will help in a big way to help Southern Highlands grow,” he said. THE University of Papua New Guinea will confer one doctorate and 61 Master degrees in medicine, business and sciences today.
The School of Medicine and Health Sciences will confer a Doctor of Medicine and 26 Master degrees in medicine and pharmacy. The School of Business Administration will confer 33 candidates at Master level – 32 Master in Business Administration degrees and one Master in Strategic Management. The School of Natural and Physical Sciences will confer a single Master of Science degree. They will be part of the 1,330 graduates to be conferred degrees and diplomas in two separate graduation ceremonies at the UPNG Drill Hall. Three hundred-and-seven students will graduate from the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and 417 from the School of Business Administration. The others include the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (272), School of Natural and Physical Sciences (216) and School of Law (118). The morning session of the graduation will involve the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the School of Business Administration. Australian High Commissioner Deborah Stokes will be the guest at the morning session. Finance Minister James Marape (an MBA graduate) will respond on behalf of the students. The afternoon session will involve the Schools of Law, Medicine and Science and Natural and Physical Science. Minister for Higher Education, Research and Science and Technology, Delilah Gore will be the guest speaker. Bachelor of Science graduate Samuel Mori will respond for the students. A member of the Parliamentary Referral Committee on Education (PRCE) investigating teachers’ salary discrepancies and grievances has suggested a re-structure of the education system.
The idea came from Eastern Highlands Governor Julie Soso during the committee’s last inquiry of a series – with the Papua New Guinea Teachers’ Association (PNGTA), Teaching Services Commission (TSC) and the Education Deptment in the National Capital District yesterday. The inquiry allowed the committee to meet with the three bodies that deal with teacher issues. “After visiting the provinces and listening to the teachers, I believe we should look at overhauling the education system,” Soso said. She said the country’s population had increased and the education system needed to adapt to the increase and the social changes taking place. “When we talk about the education sector and the development of the social sector where education comes, what we have been using have been structured for the past 10 to 20 years. “We are now into the new millennium and should update our system.” Soso said she believed the system was a factor to the teachers’ issues. “The system and the structure in place now in our education system are not meeting the demand and the quality in the education that we need,” she said. She added with the PRCE in place, it was a time to use it for a way forward for the education system. Soso said it was up to the government to look at ways for a better solution like improving the information technology. The PRCE committee will present its recommendations in parliament West New Britain students at the University of Goroka received a cheque for K380,000 for their tuition fees yesterday. Governor Sasindran Muthuvel was traditionally welcomed by the university’s student association to present the cheque and sign on the Phoenix early childhood education training course which the students are enrolled on. The money is the first installment for the trainee teachers.
“It was an overwhelming welcome by our students with a long procession in traditional attire. Thank you my dear students and teachers,” Mr Muthuvel said. He was accompanied by West New Britain provincial administrator Williamson Hosea and chairman for education and president for Talasea, Victor Narere with the tertiary education scholarship assistance scheme (TESAS) team for the presentation. He said he was impressed by his first visit to Goroka and the university. Mr Muthuvel revealed that the 2014 TESAS funding totals up to K1.58 million for various universities and tertiary institutions and there is a remaining K950,000 yet to be paid for various other institutions within West New Britain, around PNG and abroad. He said he does not have any direct role in terms of awarding TESAS scholarships and that it is purely managed by a committee chaired by Mr Hosea. “I do not have any political involvement in the selection process and students are selected purely on merit basis as the committee has their own selection criteria they abide by,” the governor said. He said it has come to his knowledge that the current allocation of K2.5 million is not enough to cater for all students in the province and made a commitment increase TESAS ceiling in years to come. “I will try my level best to see how well we can increase this and support our students who want to attend university,” he said. He appealed to the recipients of the scholarship to perform to the best of their ability as knowledge is imperishable. THE Mondanda Community now has a double primary school classroom.
Located an hour outside of Mendi, the Mondanda Primary School is the first primary school in the Ialibu-Pangia district to benefit from Digicel Foundation’s education infrastructure support programme. The double classroom was built at a cost of K240,000 and comes with a 9,000 litre water tank, two ventilation improved piping (VIP) toilets and shower, a solar system and 20 desks. There to witness the launch were the head of Digicel Foundations visiting from Dublin, Ireland, Maria Mulcahy. Chairman, Laki Yoko said the school was grateful for the wonderful new double classroom that will provide for its growing number of students from three large neighbouring villages, all within an hour’s walking distance from the school. Digicel PNG Foundation CEO, Beatrice Mahuru said the foundation believed strongly in empowering communities in the country by recognising positive efforts to promote positive change. “I am indeed humbled by the welcome that the Mondanda community has put out to welcome Digicel PNG Foundation,” Mahuru said. “The flower beds that you have built around our classroom investment are evident of your pride to add to an environment that is conducive to learning.” STUDENTS at Kondopina Primary School in Dei, Western Highlands, are looking forward to the opening of a K100,000 double classroom funded by MP Wesley Nukundi.
The funding came from the district’s school infrastructure development programme. Headmaster Simon Kum said the new facility would cater for the increasing number of students who were taking advantage of the free education policy. “In the past, the school could cater for a maximum of 400 students. But with the free education policy, student numbers shot up to 700, which is relatively very high,’’ he said. “We have already turned a staff room into a classroom to provide students quality education.” He said the ratio of teacher to students was 1:40. “This has shot up to 1:170 which is not conducive for learning.” Teacher Joseph Koi said teachers faced difficulties when teaching more than 70 students in a class. Koi said the Government was boasting about its free education policy without realising the hardship teachers faced on the ground. “It is hard for teachers to move around and attend to students individually,’’ he said. “I think students are deprived of quality education in such a crammed environment.” He called on the Government to focus more on infrastructure in schools. PARENTS share an equal responsibility with teachers in the education of children, according to executive director of the International Education Agency Joe Lalie.
He said the success of students in their education depended on parents and teachers. Lalie was speaking during the opening of the renovated multipurpose hall and administration building at the Hagen International School last Friday. The renovation cost K1.35 million. He said the agency, as a private school, would continue to provide quality education to children in the country. He said infrastructure development was an important part of education. Since 2002, the agency has spent K50 million in all its education institutions in the country under its capital works programme. He said K2.8 million was spent on its two institutions in Western Highlands. He said they would allocate K100,000 for the fencing of the school. Lalie said security of the staff, students and infrastructure was important. “I want to thank the staff, board and management of the Hagen International School for their initiative to renovate the old colonial hall and extend it,” he said. Lalie is a former principal of the school. Board chairman Ben Sesimu said apart from the renovation, the school installed 33 computers with internet, pubic addressing system and provided white goods and musical instruments for students who wanted to learn music. FLEXIBLE Open and Distance Education (FODE) matriculation student Dominic Yobinen, an employee of Air Nuigini, told The National that some of them were still waiting to receive the materials after paying for them last month.
Yobinen said by now all students should have collected their materials and handed their assignments in. But some were still waiting to receive their materials. “As FODE is like home study, it is a must that we have those materials in time so that we can prioritise our time.” Other students raised concern about the delay. They said they would have to rush to cover everything before examinations in July. Principal Demas Tongogo said FODE was trying out a new mode of distribution. Tongogo said he hoped that by the end of this month all materials should reach students and that would close off the 2014 enrolment for FODE. He said the introduction of the tuition fee free policy had seen a lot of students enrolled. He said they targeted to print out 32,000 copies of materials but that had increased to 40,000. BUGANDI Secondary School’s 1,700 students and more than 50 teaching staff in Lae, Morobe, now have high-speed internet service.
Telikom PNG, through its foundation, made it possible for them to access internet through Telikom Foundation’s “Clean IT” online library service and Wi-Fi. The foundation, in partnership with Lae MP and Minister for Religion, Youth and Community Development Loujaya Kouza, launched the online library service at the school last Friday. “This is positive news and a new pathway to success for Bugandi after too much negativity in the media. “We want a change, and thank you Telikom PNG for your support and having faith in our school,” principal Geteng Punumping said. He said assistance from a state-owned enterprise like Telikom PNG is a boost for the students, especially in the era of modern technology. “We know there are people who care and want to help us excel. “We want to tell everybody that we are a ‘New Bugandi’ and thank you Telikom Foundation and our Minister Kouza for your assistance. The additional service of Wi-Fi by Telikom PNG is an added support and we look forward to producing better results at the end of this year.” POLICE have arrested and charged four students who were among a group who damaged property at a school in Wewak, East Sepik, and looted its canteen last Friday.
Provincial police commander Joe Poma strongly condemned what the students did at the Brandi Secondary School in Wewak. He said up to 30 students were involved and everyone would be brought to justice. Police believe that the students were under the influence of alcohol. Poma said the students damaged three teachers’ quarters, the staff room and deputy principal’s office. They broke into the school canteen, looted it and chased away the teachers on duty, including three single teachers who fled from the school compound. Four of the students who began the rampage on Friday evening have been charged by police. More are expected to be arrested soon. “It has become a habit for students to turn on teachers and the school when the administration takes action on them on disciplinary matters,” he said. “Alcohol abuse by students is widespread and when the school takes action, the students become defensive. “This is totally unacceptable behaviour and police will not hesitate to arrest and charge students who misbehave.” Poma, who is a former student of the school, said he would discuss with the school and education officials in Wewak about removing the male boarders from the school dormitories. “If this group of students cannot behave, they may as well be day students and can get drunk at home,” he said. “We cannot keep them at the school and posing a threat to teachers.” Provincial education advisor Joseph Auli said he would comment on the incident late |
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