Administrators participate in US programme

 TWO well-respected tertiary education administrators from Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands participated in an exchange programme in the United States called the International Leadership Visitor Programme (IVLP).  

The theme of the programme was “The Changing Face of Education in the United States: Training a Skilled Workforce”. 

Dr Goru Hane-Nou and Donald Malasa experienced firsthand how education in the United States responds to local, domestic and global economic demands and how it works with businesses and local communities to provide a workforce with the necessary skills to work in various industries throughout the country.

Hane-Nou is a senior lecturer and the coordinator of the distance programme in the School of Humanity and Social Science at the University of Papua New Guinea. 

 After he returned, Hane-Nou met with US Ambassador North and shared his observations.  

“I was most struck by the high number of female education leaders in the United States and the business partnerships tertiary institutions have in place,” he said.

Malasa, is the pro vice-chancellor for Corporate Services at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU).  During his recent trip to Honiara, North asked Malasa how his experience in the United States had shaped his important role in the development of the new SINU.  

As part of the IVLP programme, Hane-Nou and Malasa visited Washington DC; Dayton, Ohio; Jacksonville, Florida; and Denver, Colorado.  

During the three-week programme, from Feb 2-25,  participants visited educational institutions, civil society organisations, and government offices to meet with leaders who offered a broad array of perspectives.

The main aim of the programme was to provide participants with a better understanding of the current state of the US educational system, including the challenges of student enrollment and financial sustainability, and to discuss the path on which the education system is headed.