Basan’s journey to find a second chance turns successful

By TONY PALME
A YOUNG man’s journey in search of education opportunities that took him from Madang to Jiwaka has been successful.
Twenty-three-year-old Bonnie Basan from Basor village, Rai Coast, has graduated with a certificate in tourism and hospitality from Dalnamb Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) school in Nondugl, Jiwaka.
What Basan will not forget is that he was a pioneer among four other students who graduated from Dalnamb last Thursday.
Basan completed Grade 10 at the end of 2010 at Rai Coast Secondary School but the doors to continue to Grade 11 had closed for him. “Without much hope, I spent six years in the village,” he said.
“The desire to go to school was there but there was no opportunity for me. Then, in 2016, an opportunity presented itself to me.
“One of my elder brothers, who is an assistant registrar at the Mt Hagen National Court, told me about Dalnamb. “I left Madang straight away and came to Jiwaka.
“I was among 11 other students that enrolled last year, but unfortunately, seven left and only five of us made it to the end.”
Basan described the two years of his studies at the newly-established school as “very challenging”.
“We felt like giving up,” he recalled.
“In fact, most left, after seeing that there were no teaching resources.
“Classes were conducted by only two teachers, teaching non-trade courses under an incomplete staff house. I would like to thank our pioneer manageress Janet Malam (office administration and business studies) and Maima Nul (tourism and hospitality) for never giving up.”