By FRANK RAI
THE 35th Siassi High School Grade 10 graduation and official opening of Siassi university sub-centre Friday November 30 was a very special day for the people of Siassi Island in the Morobe province.
Two very special events livened up the whole Island and drew a colossal crowd.
The crowd was thrilled and kept alive with the events of the day.
The two events were Siassi High School’s 35th grade 10 graduation and the opening of the Siassi sub-centre of University of Papua New Guinea’s Morobe University Centre.
There were colorful celebrations including performances by a local group from Tuam Island in Siassi, the high school’s brass band and the school musical band.
The colorful celebrations marked the occasion as the first-ever and unique when the two guest speakers were both from country’s premier learning institution.
Dr Eric Kwa, a senior academic at UPNG’s school of law was the guest- -of-honor at the ceremony and the other guest was Mr Kensol Rui, director of Morobe University Centre.
He added great significance to the occasion for several reasons.
First, Dr Kwa was a very-significant high-profile senior academic at the UPNG and also from Siassi Island and so his return highly charged and excited the people at the ceremony.
Siassi Island is known for producing some very highly-educated prominent people in the country such as Dr Kwa, Professor Mathias Sapuri and many others and so with Dr Kwa’s presence, one can imagine the excitement in the people.
His electrifying keynote address both excited and challenged the Islanders.
He stressed strongly that Siassi Islanders were naturally bright people and, therefore, need to appreciate that and vigorously pursue education.
Dr Kwa highly commended the Siassi High School board, administration and staff for their unflinching efforts and challenged both the graduands and the people to be serious about education.
He urged them to take responsibility for their own education and be successful in their lives so that they could be able to bring back their knowledge and expertise to the Island for development.
The icing of Dr Kwa’s speech was his significant donation of K20, 000 to the Siassi High school for the sponsorship of four top grade 10 students each year for five years.
He also made a significant donation to the newly opened Siassi sub-centre of Morobe University Centre by sponsoring 30 students in semester one of 2008.
Dr Kwa’s personal donations thrilled the Islanders as this was the first time ever for an individual - neither from the education division nor a member of parliament but from the country’s highest learning institution - to make such significant contributions to education for the people of the Island.
Mr Rui stressed the significance and long-term benefits of education to individuals, families, communities and the nation as a whole.
Quoting phrases from Dame Carol Kidu and former US president Thomas Jefferson on the significance of education, Mr Rui hammered the message that Siassi Islanders should take a big leap forward and pursue their education while the opportunity was provided.
He stressed that the people should now embrace and cuddle the University sub-centre at their door step on the Island as a significant form of development in education that is more accessible, convenient and affordable.
Mr Rui also thanked Dr Kwa for his personal significant donation especially for sponsoring 30 students at the university’s sub-centre.
This was a relief to the students and parents as he painfully announced the increase in tuition fees by K50 next year as a surcharge.
Mr Rui indicated that Morobe provincial government grants for the Morobe University Centre did not come for the last two years and so the university was compelled to impose the surcharge of K50 on all programs offered at the centre.
A delighted Mr Rui also thanked the Siassi high school board for the donation of a building to house the university sub-centre in Siassi.
He added that Dr Kwa’s sponsorship of 30 students and the high school’s donations of the building were history in the making.
He asserted that he had established and run three open campuses and provincial university centres, with many sub-centres, but had never witnessed individuals sponsoring students nor donations of classroom building for sub-centres.
Thus, the donations made history, and Mr Rui appealed to the students to pursue their studies with strong determination and unflinching efforts and also urged the community to embrace the university sub-centre and responsibly nurture it.
After the speeches, a lot of excitement filled the air as the crowd moved over to the dedication process of the new university sub-centre building.
Immediately after the dedication, Dr Kwa declared - on behalf of UPNG, the Vice-Chancellor and senior management of the UPNG Open College - the sub-centre open and cut the ribbon.
Then a tour in and around the centre as well as the Siassi high school administration building ended the whole programme but the day’s celebrations were ended with the big typical Siassi mumu.
Dr Kwa and Mr Rui both thanked Siassi high school board, administration, staff, students, community leaders, the people and the management of Lutheran Shipping for the invitation, preparation, and support given to them directly and indirectly.
Individual donations as such are rarely experienced in PNG and Mr Kwa’s contribution to his own village will be long remembered by his people and the children.

 

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