Starting from scratch

She started from scratch in 2013 and seven years later, Bayang Roneka has written adult literacy curricula and graduated over 30 students and trainers.

Roneka, from the Wain-Erap LLG in Morobe Province, had the opportunity to showcase her work during a recent visit by the Morobe Provincial Government.

She has always been passionate about teaching.

In 1986, Nawaeb woman, Bayang Roneka, attended a literacy training at Vunadidir in East New Britain Province where she proudly represented her province.

After the training though, Roneka said she had to put her dream on hold as she had to raise her children.

However, her dream was reawakened when she read PNG’s Vision 2050 under the ‘Human Development, Gender, Youth and People Empowerment’ pillar. Under that pillar, the government aimed to ‘achieve one hundred percent literacy for the adult population over 15 years of age’.

Believing that she can contribute to the government’s vision, she started the St Schnabel Adult Literacy School in the village of Kwalasekut in Boana in 2013.

Roneka recently had the opportunity to show her work and seek assistance when the Morobe provincial administrator and his team visited her village for the opening of water and sanitation hygiene stations.

She shared that it has never been easy going for her as there was no budget to write, type and publish her curricula while their current classroom is still partially complete.

“Mi gat save lo karikulam blo raitim buk,” she said. “Na mi nogat mani lo raitim displa buk. No budget osem na mi tok, mi go wokim maket. Mi pikim sako, mi planim kumu gaden blo mi lo hia. Mi salim displa, mi kisim, baim ink na taipim tu em nogat. So mi mekim displa nau em mi askim, husat bai taipim displa blo mi?”

Apart from the challenges faced in printing her curricula, Roneka pointed out that she has food, school fees and basic necessities to think about. And working as a volunteer is not helping her family in any way.

“Mi givim taim blo mi lo givim treining, mi givim taim blo mi lo kisim klas, mi givim taim blo mi lo raitim buk na displa olgeta em nogat (fotnait). Mi tok ‘God, you are my provider’.”

She has already printed 50 copies each of the teachers’ guide and her student curricula of units 1, 2 and 3. These copies can only cater for one district.

With the recent visit of the provincial heads, the trainer is hoping to get the help that she needs to at least increase PNG’s adult literacy level in Morobe.

(Bayang Roneka displaying the printed copies of her curricula)

Author: 
Carmella Gware