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By ZACHERY PER
UNICEF’S initiative to make schools become “child-friendly” is now
closer to reality with the presentation of office equipment for
school-based counsellors in Goroka yesterday.
More than 30 primary schools in Eastern Highlands started to receive the
equipment through the Unicef Goroka Zone office this week.
The head of the office, Dr Arnold V Calo-oy, said part of the
“child-friendly” strategy called for close collaboration between the
Education Department and schools to promote girls’ education.
He said teachers had been trained to encourage girls’ education because
it had been a norm for PNG communities to discourage girls to excel in
education.
“Under the accelerating girls education (AGE) programme, we advocate for
girls to be given equal opportunity like the boys to be retained in
school to complete their basic primary education,” Dr Calo-oy said after
handing over the equipment to Eastern Highlands provincial education
adviser Conrad Esoke.
Dr Calo-oy said Unicef was supporting the education division to train
teachers based in schools to counsel girls to pursue their education
with confidence.
About 80 teachers were trained last year who required counselling office
and equipment at their respective school levels, and they will be making
use of the new equipment.
Some villagers had also been trained to counsel girls who were not in
school.
Mr Esoke thanked Unicef for specifically identifying and assisting in an
area where the department was unable to help.
He said the department did not have the budget for such equipment.
Mr Esoke said the teachers who had been trained to provide counselling
now realise its importance in helping to develop students and become
useful citizens,
He urged teachers and members of the community who had been given the
training to give their full commitment to the task.
 
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