PRIME Minister Hon. James Marape officially commissioned the University of Goroka’s new K130 million Central Administration Building and Humilaveka Student Forum Square, describing the investment as a major statement of the Government’s commitment to quality education as Papua New Guinea enters its next 50 years.
Speaking at UOG, Prime Minister Marape said investment in modern university infrastructure must ultimately translate into better teachers, better schools and better educational outcomes for Papua New Guinea’s children.
“The future of our country is dependent on the quality of learning and teaching we give to the children of our country,” he said.
“Make no mistake, quality education must be purchased at all costs so that we give the right, quality, informed education to our children.”
Prime Minister Marape described the new facilities as among the finest pieces of educational infrastructure in Papua New Guinea and thanked the university leadership, former and current councils, contractors, traditional landowners, government agencies and taxpayers who contributed towards their development.
“It is the taxpayers who made it possible for us to pay and make this,” he said. “All taxpayers of our country —your contribution has gone well into a magnificent building.”
UOG HOLDS KEY TO PNG’S EDUCATION FUTURE
Prime Minister Marape said UOG carried a special national responsibility because the teachers trained there would go on to shape generations of Papua New Guineans.
“This university holds the key to the future of our country,” he said.
He directed Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Minister Hon. Kinoka Feo and his department to develop a programme aimed at lifting teacher-training standards to levels comparable with the best internationally.
“If I want my students to get the best, that means I must start by training my teachers to be the best,” Prime Minister Marape said.
He also called for teachers to be properly remunerated according to their qualifications and the importance of their profession.
“Teachers must be the highest-paid people in our country. Pay them on par with their qualifications,” he said.
Prime Minister Marape said better remuneration must be accompanied by improved teacher housing and working conditions, as well as classrooms, WASH facilities and other essential school infrastructure.
“I want my kids leaving Grade 12 to speak good English, have a good understanding of mathematics, have ethics, know their God and know their country,” he said.
EVERY CHILD HAS POTENTIAL
Prime Minister Marape said PNG’s education system must recognise and develop the different abilities and talents of children rather than measuring every student through the same academic pathway.
“Some children are gifted in sports. Some are gifted in arts. Some are gifted in music. Some are gifted to be rocket scientists,” he said.
“Our school system must embrace the fullest potential of the children in our midst.”
He said the education system must provide pathways that allow young Papua New Guineans to develop their individual talents, whether in academics, sport, the arts, technical fields or other areas.
Prime Minister Marape also called for greater use of Flexible Open and Distance Education (FODE) to provide second-chance opportunities for Papua New Guineans who leave the formal education system, allowing them to resume their studies and pursue further education.
“The next 10 years is critical,” he said.
He encouraged young people who had left school not to give up, citing examples from his Tari-Pori electorate of school leavers who returned to education through second-chance pathways and eventually entered universities and employment.
“EDUCATION IS YOUR HIGHWAY”
Prime Minister Marape reflected on his own journey from a remote community to becoming Papua New Guinea’s eighth Prime Minister.
He recalled starting Grade 1 in 1978, walking for hours to attend school and later being taken to boarding school by his father.
His father told him: “Never leave the education path.
Education is your highway into your life.”
“True to his word, the educational highway has taken me to this place today,” Prime Minister Marape said.
He said children throughout rural PNG possessed the same potential if given access to quality education.
“I know if I can come from the rural enclaves of our country with absolutely nothing to be where I am, I know the children of my countrymen and countrywomen out there are equally talented,” he said.
“We just have to get the quality interventions right in the education sector.”
PM BACKS NEW UOG STUDENT ACCOMMODATION
Prime Minister Marape also backed plans to substantially increase student accommodation at UOG.
Higher Education Minister Hon. Kinoka Feo presented plans for a major new dormitory development to address the university’s accommodation needs.
“That dormitory you saw today, we will build it,” Prime Minister Marape said.
He said increased government investment must be matched by discipline, professionalism and high standards among students training to become teachers.
“If Government is looking after you well, then you must be model citizens so that you pass that role model on to our children,” he said.
With Papua New Guinea preparing to celebrate its 51st Independence Anniversary on September 16, Prime Minister Marape said the coming decade would be crucial to preparing the next generation.
“The next 10 years, we must all work to give quality education to the children of our country,” he said.
“And it starts with quality education here at the University of Goroka.”