Foundation Launches Educational Channel

About 360,000 students enroll in Elementary School each year but only 10 percent of these students make it to Grade 12 and 3 percent enter into higher education institutions.

This is according to Digicel Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Serena Sasingian yesterday at the launch of the Foundation’s Education TV channel.

The channel aims to increase literacy and economic opportunities for the youth of Papua New Guinea through creating and streaming learning content to schools and Community Learning Centers around the country.

The channel will be called the Be Lit channel, “Be lit “stands for better literacy and will focus on airing educational content for students in formal schools and will work with flexible open distance Education to produce mathematics and science series.

This is all part of Digicel PNG Foundation’s education pathways strategy.

Be Lit will air on TVWan on a three-hour block daily and will become a fully-fledged 24- hour education TV channel early 2022. CEO Sasingian said that this is the first major shared value project between Digicel PNG Ltd and Digicel PNG Foundation.

 

 

“Digicel recognizes the growing problem of the youth bulge. The Challenge is on us all to see how we can create opportunities for the next generation to learn skills and create employment for the youth to better their lives.

“Through the Be Lit education TV channel, we have collaborated with the Department of Education and The Voice Inc. and SAVE PNG to broadcast three hours of TV Content to schools around the country. This would not be possible without the support of Digicel PNG,” she said.  

The Secretary of the Department of Education, Dr Uke Kombra, who was present for launching, said the Department of Education is progressing the partnership with Digicel Foundation after signing the MoU in June.

He said that they would be providing support to ensure that the country can be educated not just the children but adults as well.

 “Where there is a school, there is a teacher but in the case where there is no teacher present, the next best option is the Education channel and this channel can play a role in ensuring there is some contact with students.

“We thank Digicel Foundation for an initiative that means a lot to every child and every family, when you touch education you touch every heart of Papua New Guinea”, Department of Education Secretary,” said Dr. Uke Kombra.

Digicel Vice President, Lorna McPherson highlighted that since its establishment in PNG in 2008, Digicel has so far spent K139 million into education and health projects in every single district in the country.

“We have built over 680 classrooms, 33 libraries, 12 rural aid posts, 43 mobile health clinics and 63 community learning programs and we have been involved in many more projects throughout the country.”

Maliwai Sasingian, Executive Director of Youth development  NGO, the Voice Inc. said the channel will enable the organization to educate young people about current national issues in a way that is entertaining and engaging for them, highlighting pathways for them to get involved.

The channel is a major milestone for the Foundation as it formally recognizes its work in the field of Education over the last 13 years.

Author: 
Digicel Foundation