Help my head is full now!!!

PNGEI Elementary

Does this college have the capacity to lead this change? Right now methinks not but with a little help from the international community maybe.

Massive changes to the elementary education system are afoot and as the solo provider of pre-service elementary teacher training, PNGEI is at the centre of reform.

PNG desperately needs teachers. Strategic planning to get a greater proportion of children into school has been more or less successful and there is now a significant shortfall in teachers especially at elementary level (equivalent to UK KS1 not foundation stage).

At present there are 3 options if you would like to become an elementary teacher:

CET: A one-year residential teacher-training course taught at PNGEI.

CETT Mixed Mode: A 3-year course with 6 weeks face-to-face training at PNGEI each year. The remainder of the year is spent teaching in schools.

CETT Distance Mode: A 3-year course taught by PNGEI teacher trainers in the field. Students are based in provincial schools and attend workshops lead by the regional teacher trainers.

Challenges that have been identified appear to be:

1.     The capacity of the elementary trainers

The trainers operating in the provinces can have up to 50 students each in schools across their province. They are often underpaid and have little resources. Workshops don’t happen because there is no funding for travel or a venue. Teaching materials are often not received on time, if at all.

2.     Monitoring and evaluation

Senior lecturers from PNGEI should go out to monitor the workshops every year but the same lecturers teaching on the residential program are responsible for monitoring and evaluating the distance program. There is insufficient staff to lead all three programs. There is insufficient money to fund the monitoring visits.

3.     Course materials

Delays in printing mean resources are not dispatched in time. Not all students follow the correct enrolment procedure with PNGEI and therefore are not listed and will not be counted in printing figures. Boxes of course materials sit ready to be transported at PNGEI but they are not sent due to lack of finances.

4.     Back log of unqualified students

There is a backlog of 4000 students who have started the distance-learning course but have not completed. Some are awaiting certification whilst need to repeat courses. The course has only been running 4 years so this is a very high proportion of students.

The problems appear to be well known and well documented. What is not so widely agreed upon are solutions. It certainly does seem to be the time for change. The Prime Minister has made elementary education his number one priority and donor money appears to be there for the taking if the project is right.

This is what I find after one week of working half days due to either power or water cuts and as always I would like to stress that this is me trying to make sense of a complex situation, it’s always possible I’m making 2+2=5!

Port Moresby - home sweet home

 View  over Port Moresby from my compound.

 My flat downstairs (unfortunately not my car)

View of Port Moresby from my flat.

Port Moresby, the capital of PNG, only accessible by air and therefore cut off from the rest of PNG will be my home for the next two years. Arriving back at my port of entry into the country after 3 weeks in Madang I feel the dryness rather than the heat and whilst waiting to be collected it occurs to me that this is actually the first time I have been on my own since I've been here and it feels quite liberating.
Dr Neofa, Director of PNGEI (Institute of Education PNG) and Lucy Naka (Head of the Elementary (infant) Strand) meet me at the airport. I have met Lucy before in Madang when she came to take me to POM but I couldn't go as there was no accomodation ready for me. This is the first time I have met the Director and I am impressed by his easy manner, his unreserved welcome and of course by the fact that he is there at all. I can't imagine the director of the IoE in my country coming to meet a volunteer at the airport!
POM is a rapidly growing city within which almost anything is obtainable at a price. There is a cinema, a mall (small but it is there), many large supermarkets, household stores, computer stores, hardware stores and of course markets. Fruit and vegetables are particularly expensive for example I bought 2 carrots in the market for k1 (35p) each. This is because they are flown in from the Highland Regions, no roads come into POM. Most things are imported and cotton is particularly hard to come by and very expensive, I bought a sheet and 2 pillowase set for k118 (approx £40), I won't be buying any more I will be buying online from Australia. Why is this the case?
As far as I understand it aside from the import issue there is also very rapid growth in PNG greatly influenced by the LNG project which is distorting the economy to such an extent that the government is keeping money from the project off shore to minimise the impact. This is all a little beyond me as a bear  of little brain but it is definitely food for thought!

”Helping to bring Papua New Guinea’s natural gas to market while balancing economic growth, environmental protection and social development demands the integration of ingenuity, integrity, innovation and reliability with an unwavering commitment to delivering on our promises.”

Such is the mission statement from Esso.

Back to PNGEI. As I write there is no electricity, the computer block built by AusAid for PNGEI is occupied by the DoE as are houses belonging to PNGEI (hence I don't have one), course materials remain unpublished and students continue to arrive. Term started a week ago but lectures are not expected to get going for another week or two electricity dependent as it is too hot to be in class without fans. My main objective as part of the LSP (Language Support Programme) team is to review the teacher training materials for elementary teachers and try to connect the training materials to the elementary schools curriculum which at present are two separate entities. However for now I will focus on building relationships, looking for areas where I may be able to make some impact and generally taking stock. I have started by baking some biscuits!