Students plan mental development awareness

The Ialibu-Imbonggu Students Association of the University of Papua New Guinea will carry out mental development awareness to their districts in Southern Highlands Province during their Christmas break.

The awareness will mainly focus on addressing issues in the social, law and order, health and education sector.

The president of the Ialibu-Imbonggu Students Association, while outlining the purpose of their awareness, said they wish to give back to their communities as elites of their province.

“The plan we have towards carrying out the awareness is mainly for mental development. We want to become mentors and we want to advocate our people back at the village in a way that we can change the mindset of our people,” Jason Iko stated.

Iko also acknowledged the Northern Province Governor, Gary Juffa, for supporting them since the beginning of 2019.

“I just want to commend Gary Juffa, he has done something great in our association throughout the year.”

The association’s secretary, Newman Tipelian, said students volunteered to conduct awareness and contribute – though in a small way – to the development of their people’s mindset.

“We believe that when the people in the district and communities are mentally developed, our districts should be in a better position to move forward in terms of development so that’s why we, the University of Papua New Guinea Ialibu-Imbonggu students, raised our hands to go for the awareness.”

Tipelian stated that students did some fundraising in the middle of the year where some of the elites of the districts came and spoke to them on two different occasions. This is the reason why the students’ morale has been boosted.

“We believe in human resource development and I know Ialibu and Imbonggu don’t have any natural resources to run the district, we depend entirely on human resource. The awareness is not for our personal gain rather, it is for the betterment of our people in our district and province as a whole.”

The students have further appealed to the elites and leaders of the districts to work closely with them.

“I appeal to the local level government to come and work with the students to hear what the students have to say so that we can work collectively.”

(Article by Albert Moses - third year UPNG Journalism student; File picture of members of Ialibu-Imbonggu Students Association)

Author: 
Albert Moses