Department ready to help improve literacy issue

National

THE Department of Community Development and Religion is ready to partner with the Education Department and development partners to help raise the literacy level in communities, according to a senior official.
Speaking on behalf of Secretary Anna Solomon at the launch of the 22nd National Literacy Week in Tapini, Central, last Tuesday,  Sylvester O’Oru said this would be through district community learning and development centres where training for learning and capacity building would be conducted.
The department is working closely with the National Literacy Awareness Secretariat in terms of planning programmes and welcomes any other development partners that share similar visions.
O’Oru said: “The department has vested interest in developing communities to reach their full potential and this cannot be achieved through an illiterate population.
“Necessary interventions need to be in place by the Government, development partners and stakeholders, civil societies and faith-based organisations towards realising and achieving this milestone.”
The department is embarking on few focus areas which are;

  • Community learning which is concerned with learning and development in every community in PNG,
  • community environment which looks after building sustainable communities co-existing in harmony with the environment,
  • community economics which involves managing people’s income and livelihood; and,
  • Community governance where communities are empowered to manage their own affairs with the resources available to them.

“Fundamental to any other development agenda is people’s ability to read and write. “