Office of Censorship is continuing its NCD School Awareness Program, which is one of the priorities for this year.
The campaign slogan is ‘Self Respect & Human Decency’.
Between 2014 and 2016, six schools within Port Moresby, Lae and Rabaul were part of this awareness program.
Similar programs were also carried out respectively to stakeholders and partners, mainly the Royal Constabulary of Papua New Guinea, including the Port Moresby General Hospital, who was also part of a preliminary research carried out by the research team from the Office.
The aim of the awareness program is to educate schools, partners/stakeholders and the general public on the basic roles and functions of the Office of Censorship. It is also to deliberate on the continuous use and misuse of the social media and to correct misunderstandings about the basic function of the Office.
Manager awareness and publicity, Karen Gabby, said the program is vital for students as the Office is targeting schools with hope that the program will influence a positive change in student behaviour within the schools.
“This awareness program is now in full swing and so far this year, six schools in NCD have already been visited with very good participation.”
She adds that the aim now is to continue the program to all the schools within the NCD region and also on the outskirts of Port Moresby, with or without funding.
“Many of the students showed interest and were willing to learn more about how social media can assist them in their school work,” she said.
“However, it can also be a distraction when not properly managed, especially when a student has an internet accessible phone.”