Walking on foot to inspect schools in remote Gumine

By ENNIO KUBLE in Gumine

“Yalkuna (best of friend in Golin dialect), I am doing one of my runs to visit schools at the back of the mountains and headwaters,” he said with his infectious smile looking towards the westerly direction where he was to walk that day.

He is Michael Sipa, the stockily built school inspector for basic education, Gumine Inspectorate of the Education Department. By the end of term two this year, Michael ended his third round of visits to each elementary and primary schools in Gumine of Simbu province.

There are 67 elementary and primary schools located in three local level government areas, home to 10 ethnic groups with a population of almost 60,000 people squatting on the 708 square kilometres that pop up rugged mountains and deep gullies, taking the Whagi river gorge as its shield and the Au-Abane plains as its bed.

Michael from the Mian ethnic group that hosts the district headquarters proved to be full of energy as he walked through the hinterlands on foot, earning himself a name, visiting 44 elementary schools and 23 primary schools that spread across Dom to Yuri, Sa-Mian, Dimaku, the two Golins, Sa-Simalin, and the two Eras.

Michael has produced a half-year operational report to the Education Department reflecting on the challenges, the achievements, and the need to strengthen education services in the district.

“My schools visits report reflects on the successes and failures through thick and thin circumstances. I have gone into places where political indifferences arising from the past elections remained raw, rocky and sliding tracks I walked, but for Gumine my endurance still stands undivided and ongoing,” he stated.

The Department of Education may not be wrong in appointing Mr Sipa as the School Inspector to basic education in November 2016, as he is young at age of 48, full of vitality to strengthen education as the foremost pillar of development.

His appointment came too soon, a year after he graduated with a Bachelor in Education at Divine Word University. He started teaching in 1999 after graduating from Holy Trinity Teachers’ College.

Mr Sipa said he remains whole to deliver quality education services each day with distinction in the district at the primary education level.

 

“The paramount purpose of paying visits to both elementary and primary schools are to ensure that standards must be met by all schools located in the district,” he said.

In order to attain quality education for the children enrolled schools must adhere to standards approved by the Government.

The standards supervised by the Standard Office at Fin Corp building in Waigani ensure

qualified teachers are engaged in every school to teach, teachers are applying correct strategies and methods in teaching, teachers and students are using correct national prescribed Curriculum materials and resources, and the head teachers must possess qualified management skills to administer the schools.

In areas of school infrastructures, the classrooms, library, staff houses, sports fields, and other learning facilities are conducive for both students and teachers, the school health and hygiene includes clean water and toilets must be in order, and the school boards, the parents and other stakeholders must contribute their support in the school infrastructural development and students learning.

Mr Sipa said the second purpose of the school visit is to inspect teachers’ performance to be promoted if the performance is proven quality, and demoted or terminated if the performance is below average.

While on this warpath to attain quality education Michael Sipa made three visits to each school in term one and two. In the coming remaining two terms, the same frequency of visits is planned.

“In retrospective of my school visits itinerary I planned for 3 visits per term in each school is my annual targets. This includes 44 Elementary schools and 23 Primary Schools. I achieved my target plan at the maximum average,” he stated.

“Relatively, spot checks and routine advisory visits on overall operation status of every school in Gumine is an integral part of my core functions that was maintained to date.

I am now done with all my advisory visits and inspections covering every school, even into the remotest schools includes Amia, Nondri, Olegain, Degepaume, Pildimina, Genabona, Kalewere, Kuabala, Goroma and Omdara by foot and not by vehicles,” he added.

Not by wheels but by foot to strengthen education services, Mr Sipa walked more than 132 kilometres of road, starting from Kundiawa, the provincial headquarters of Simbu, to the remotest Olegain, Omdara, and Amia primary schools in Gumine in terms one and two.

In his school visits Mr Sipa noted and brought to the attention of the administration issues affecting schools.

“Our schools currently operating are generally fine according to the nature of its status. Performance is fine and on its retrieving process.”

He noted that Korokoa Primary School will not reopen this year and the Dia-Yuri Primary school with its feeder elementary schools were affected by on-going tribal warfare ensued by the surrounding communities in April.

Mr Sipa also noted that infrastructure development increased at the fastest rate over the last three years.

He said learning materials and learning facilities are the basis to master quality education for all, alongside with adequate infrastructure facilities.

“These are the enabling factors in achieving quality teaching and learning. Gumine schools are satisfactorily versed with available curriculum materials.”

Along those areas he noted with concern that both primary and elementary schools are yet to be provided with library buildings.

Mr Sipa stated in his report to Education Department that there is a need to affix each school with a library.

“I also asses the physical environment to be healthy and friendly. Water sources are of concern, as most schools do not have safe drinking water sources. I am sure school boards with their communities should ensure that their schools have safe drinking water systems,” he added.

Mr Sipa also highlighted that capacity building aspects are needed to enhance teachers’ qualification.

He said teachers quality control was proposed this year in Gumine to ensure teachers are versed with the right and required qualifications, knowledge and skills to impart to their students.

“I have come to realise that sense of quality teacher for quality education has gradually begun in the district.”

He said he also identified new schools to be established in the remotest part of the district to realise the slogan of ‘universal basic education for all’ and stated the identified areas in his operational report.

The walking school inspector is only faced with a challenge, and that is for him to have a mode of transportation, a horse, a bicycle, motor bike or a vehicle to cover 67 schools covering the with and breath of Gumine.

“I have come to confront an unresolved battle of need for a vehicle or a motor bike to enhance my operations mobility to effectively meet standard requirements. My foot patrol is proven too risky walking through volatile social and political settings. The ruggedness of the terrain remains a big pain to the lower part of my body,” Michael Sipa concluded.

Young woman aims to increase visitors to museum

When Emma Andy secured a job at the National Museum and Art Gallery (NMAG) straight out of university four years ago, she saw her role as “a cultural ambassador of my country and our people.”

As the Public Relations Officer for NMAG in Port Moresby, Emma plays a critical role in promoting the museum to local and international visitors as an institution of knowledge and cultural identity.

“NMAG preserves over 100,000 artefacts and it is my job to attract visitors to the museum, so they can learn more about our country and enjoy the diverse items on display,” she said.

“Part of the education and public program section of the museum, I work with graphic designers, photographers, audio visual artists, education officers and gallery attendants. We are the face of the museum and are responsible for selling the product.”

The 28-year-old from Matupit village in East New Britain graduated from the University of Papua New Guinea (PNG) with a Bachelor of Arts in 2015 and was initially engaged by NMAG as an exhibition officer before taking on the public relations role a year later.

Emma was recently one of 30 communications professionals from government departments and civil society organisations who attended media training in Port Moresby, with the support of Australia through the Media Development Initiative (MDI).

Held in early June, the one-day workshop covered communication planning, stakeholder mapping, key message development, writing for different audiences, and risk and crisis management.

Since the training, Emma has been keen to put into practice the skills she learned to raise the profile of the museum.

“The training taught me about effective planning and targeted key messages, which had been missing previously,” said Emma.

“You need to speak the same language and ensure what you say is clearly received by your audience. People working in public relations and communications have a responsibility to share knowledge, tell the story and are a key part of the organisation’s wider plan.”

After an extensive refurbishment funded by Australia, the museum reopened to the public in November 2018 and has since seen an average of 1,400 visitors per month.

A resolute Emma and the team at NMAG are now embarking on an extensive communications and marketing strategy to increase local and international visitor numbers by 40 per cent next year.

“We are aiming to increase our social media presence as well as improve our current school programs, which target city primary schools,” explains Emma.

Since 2018, MDI has supported the growth of over 200 media and communications personnel across the country. A key focus of the program is upskilling journalists at the National Broadcasting Corporation and other media organisations to create content that accurately reflects PNG society and is inclusive of all citizens.

MDI team leader Hare Haro said the program aims to strengthen voice and accountability in PNG.

“Media provides citizens with a range of platforms to express their views and to facilitate government responsiveness. We want more citizen voices to be heard and to give leaders the opportunity to respond to those voices,” she said.

For Emma, she believes her role at the museum connects people to the country’s rich culture and history, providing a foundation for future development.

“I want more Papua New Guineans to know the story of their country. I believe that to know where we are going as a nation, we need to know where we have come from. The museum provides that platform. It acts as a guide for a young nation that is striving to develop.”

Fashion for a cause at the airport

The monthly display of PNG made gowns and traditional inspired dresses continues at the airport with the ‘A little something from PNG’ gift shop’s display of outfits from recently concluded PNG fashion events.

 

Featured PNG designer for the month is Cynthia Chapman, from Gwarumemase, Central Province. She is the designer of the  tapa traditional inspired dress with a cape and  big red and white  feather head piece,   worn by the current Miss Pacific Islands, Leoshina Mercy Kariha of PNG  when she competed in  the Pacific beauty and personality  pageant held in   Tonga. The dress is also   her entry in the traditional category in Project Runway 2018, where she is one of the participating  PNG Designers.

For the display, Cynthia lent this traditional shining, shimmering, splendid , off shoulder coral pink gown modeled by Leilani El Rose Laufa for the  Youths of PNG Fashion Show held recently at the Hilton Hotel. The event is for a good cause - to help raise funds for WeCare Foundation and Youth Against Corruption Association (YACA)  and has the theme-  Striving for change through fashion and arts.   The gown is a 1980s inspired dress and the  print is traditionally Papua New Guinean.

A Little Something From PNG located opposite Duffy at the Departure Terminal of Jackson International Airport offers  may genuine local goods and produce that is unique to PNG, such as handmade bilums, and copper beatings, wood carvings, ground coffee from the Highlands, to chocolates from Bougainville, as well as clothes and fashion accessories  created by talented PNG designers.

Company director Grace Chin has been supporting the local market by providing a retail platform for creative talents and offerings since the store’s reopening at the airport in 2015, before the Pacific Games in Port Moresby. She said “We are very proud to represent PNG with our store. We have many travellers wanting to take photos of the store, the merchandise, the store staff in their bird of paradise uniforms, as well as the evolving mannequin display”.

Say ‘hi’ to Agnes on your next travel overseas and have your photo taken with her.