Business course gives new hope to inmates

BUSINESS education is something Papua New Guinea needs in order to meaningfully develop its own resources to be economically independent, says an expert.
Human Development Institute chairman and founder Samuel Tam, during a one-day workshop at Buimo Prison in Lae, Morobe, on Friday, said the focus of the programme was to rehabilitate people.
“To rehabilitate people does not mean prisoners only, but also for whoever wishes to change his or her mindset and focus on business education,” he said.
Tam said people should be educated on how best they could use their time, money and resources to be successful in business.
The course taught participants how to dobusiness, so the participants could become their own masters.
Tam said he had conducted the training in Bomana prison, outside Port Moresby, as well as other parts of the country and found that the training helped.
He said there would be two more sessions of the course held.
The viability programme was likely to address poverty and it should be supported by the government so that people were equipped with better business knowledge and skills, he said.
“The difference is that we have the knowledge but to use that knowledge to create our own product and generate our economy is something that we lack,” Tam said.
He said we people should develop physically, spiritually, mentally and financially before they went on to do other things.
Buimo Jail Commander Felix Nomane said the introduction of the programme was useful.
“After going through the theory part of it, many detainees are able to see a brighter future ahead of them,” Nomane said.
“Through the training many are now taking part in prison activities and are doing something good for the prison itself”
He said when the programme was fully rolled out in the prison, it would have a positive impact on the lives of the prioners.