Papa Kate's Blog: Progress

It’s been a while since my last blog and between then and now I’ve been travelling the country doing fieldwork for three different projects in as many different provinces and touching base in a few more along the way. I have many blogs in my head and need to write about LSP and working with the British Council on the EETDP (Elementary Education Teacher Development Program) but for now I want to continue the story of ETTR (Elementary Teacher Training Reform) which is the one closest to my heart.

My last entry was written at a low point on the EETTR journey where I was doubting myself, VSO and the whole development process: I’m beginning to see the light.

I called a crisis meeting, time for hard talk, this is not working we have to give in or get help. The ETTR team leader resigned, the director of PNGEI agreed to invite VSO to take over the project management and allow both the VSO researcher and myself to take the lead alongside a new team leader (we will only work in partnership). The VSO education program manager flew in with a grant agreement and the researcher with an updated research proposal. A PNGEI elementary team meeting was called to thrash out the details. A new team leader was chosen and once again the project had wings.

Within two weeks:-

ü Signed approval from the secretary of education and the superintendent elementary was secured.

ü A check was released to VSO for the complete amount to cover all three research elements of the project.

ü A team of research assistants was employed to conduct telephone interviews for the tracer study and workforce study from the VSO HQ in Madang.

ü A VSO financial expert volunteer was recruited to lead the cost analysis.

ü Fieldwork travel was slimmed down to focus groups in four provinces, one in each region.

ü Travel release forms for elementary lecturers were signed.

ü Flights and accommodation booked.

The well-oiled cogs of the slick VSO in-country education program team sprang into action and as always they delivered.

Mixed feelings about this: I am very happy that VSO have saved the floundering PNGEI research but angry and disappointed that donors and the DoE could not see fit to release funds to a national institution without the backing of an international NGO. It was always ambitious for PNGEI to take this project on and with the support of VSO they will succeed and I am very proud of what the PNGEI team has achieved. If there had been more support from the DoE and AusAid personnel in tackling the obstacles of systems and processes PNGEI could have got to this point by themselves.

VSO in PNG are blessed with an inspirational education project manager. His ability to exploit capacity building opportunities is immense. ETTR team members were flown into Madang to the VSO HQ to observe and take part in the telephone interview process and see the research team in action; they also had the opportunity to see how the VSO office works. One of the key points here was that PNGEI officers realised that although VSO is an international organisation most of the office personnel are PNG nationals and it deepened their understanding of the VSO philosophy of working in partnership. Members of the ETTR team who were feeling despondent felt valued once again and an integral part of the team.

I am here as a volunteer language lecturer because of my expertise in teaching language. I have many years’ experience in teaching; elementary and primary school children, teachers and student teachers in the UK, elementary, primary and secondary school children, teachers, student teachers and ESOL at all levels in Peru. All very well but what is needed more than anything is managerial, organisational and administration skills, moving on from the favourite PNGEI phrase – NATO (No Action Talk Only) to making it happen.

The lecturers I work with are very qualified and experienced, many have post graduate diplomas or Masters degrees in leadership skills. There is a general awareness of leadership styles and techniques but what is lacking is management skills. Everyone wants to tell what needs to be done but there is a severe lack of doers.

Getting back to the point! My role therefore has been to manage the PNGEI end of the research, which essentially has been organising and managing the fieldwork. I am writing from Mount Hagen up in the awe inspiring Highlands of PNG where the air is cool, the vegetables to die for and the smiles of the local people fill you with warmth. I am travelling with two PNGEI lecturers to collect qualitative data from four provinces, one from each region of PNG. This is the second of the four, the first was in Bougainville representing the New Guinea Islands, Hagen represents the Highlands region and from here we will go to Vanimo, West Sepik to represent the Momase region then to Alotau, Milne Bay to represent the Southern region.

We are talking to teachers and teacher trainers in each region to gain a more detailed insight into their views on the teacher training courses provided by PNGEI. Most of the focus groups are being lead by one of the lecturers whilst the other lecturer and I record the responses – a challenge for my language skills as most teachers respond in Tok Pidgin! The rest of my responsibilities go like this:-

My job; getting ready to go

Ø Contact provincial officials arrange; lists of participants, arrange morning/afternoon tea, lunch, transport costs

Ø Check and print; protocols, analysis frameworks, sign in sheets etc

Ø Recap research training

My job in the field;

Ø Courtesy visits to provincial bosses – meeting and greeting

Ø Finances – banking, travel allowances, transport, food, accommodation – keeping it real!

Ø Motivation and maintaining team focus

Ø All admin – checking venues, arranging transport, giving out travel allowances, registration etc

Ø Facilitating focus groups

To fellow VSO peeps reading this I know this is all very familiar and all part of a days work. The point I’m trying to make here (I think!) is that it could also be all part of a days work in a UK primary school. The setting is very different; certainly the resources available are very different but the organisational and managerial skills are the same. You need the same levels of diplomacy, problem solving skills, initiative and above all people management skills to drive change and make things happen in the UK as you do here and this is what I see as the key experience we bring. To be successful in capacity building in terms of organisation and management will truly bring sustainability to any project wherever it might be.

Phew! There is so much to get out to free my muddled mind! Writing is such a slow process for a bear of little brain and there are not enough hours in the day. I hope this makes some sense and next time I promise to write something a little less heavy and more anecdotal on some of the amazing, frustrating and hilarious experiences I’m having here.

Love to everyone at home I know I don’t communicate much but I think about you lots x