Engan students will be the ultimate beneficiaries of a unique teacher training program currently being undertaken by 120 trainee teachers in Wabag.
The six week program, which kicks off on Monday 23 July, is being run by the Kokoda Track Foundation (KTF), PNG Education Institute (PNGEI) and National Department of Education, with the support of Enga’s largest private enterprise, the Porgera Joint Venture (PJV) mine.
Called ‘Teach for Tomorrow’, the training enables partially-trained elementary teachers to complete their Certificates of Elementary Teaching and become certified as fully-fledged elementary teachers.
Over the duration of the program, the trainee teachers will participate in lectures, practicum, workshops, and assessments co-delivered by trainers from KTF, PNGEI and NDoE.
Once certified, the graduate teachers will have the opportunity to access Government payroll positions for the first time ever, after volunteering in their schools for many years.
“We are thrilled to once again be working in partnership with PNGEI and NDoE as well as the Engan Provincial Education Authorities,” said KTF CEO, Dr Genevieve Nelson.
“The 120 trainee teachers have waited a long time for this training and have worked tirelessly as volunteers in their village schools.”
Enga is the twelfth province that KTF has rolled the Teach for Tomorrow training out to.
Over the past 20 months, KTF and its partners have trained 2,580 teachers in Northern (Oro), Gulf, Milne Bay, Morobe, Manus, New Ireland, Simbu, Central and Sandaun provinces, NCD and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
The Teach for Tomorrow program adds to the significant investment in teaching being made by Porgera Joint Venture and the national and provincial governments who commenced work on the K34m Enga Teachers College under the Tax Credit Scheme in 2017.
Porgera Joint Venture executive managing director, Tony Esplin, said the company was proud to be associated with such a significant program.
“Everyone understands the positive impact quality of education can have on communities, families and individuals,” Esplin said.
“By supporting teachers to further their training, we are in turn supporting more than 4,000 children across Enga Province to have access to basic elementary education to complement the National Government’s Tuition Fee Free (TFF) policy.
“We’re a proud member of the Engan community and we are just as proud to be a part of this program.”
The Enga Teach for Tomorrow graduation ceremony will take place on Friday, 31 August, 2018.