Catholic education staff attend conference

CATHOLIC education secretaries and religious coordinators from diocese around Papua New Guinea can now formulate their teaching and learning plans to improve their schools’ academic performance, an official says.
National Catholic Education secretary Michael Ova told The National that the annual event brought secretaries and coordinators together to learn from each other academic and religious skills to improve their schools’ performances.
“A mixture of all kinds of activities targeted these people who will go back to their diocese and give this information and communicate with the schools, communities and the teachers,” he said.
Ova said topics discussed were general election awareness education by the Catholic Bishop Conference, especially Caritas PNG.
He said based on the theme “information and transformation” they also had the Teaching Service Commission talking about the reforms taking place under the Teaching Service Act.
Rabaul archdiocese catholic education coordinator Leoba Mape Olpitarea told The National that her challenge would be to implement what she had learnt.
She said the main message was not to forget to put God first in all that they did.
Olpitarea said cooperation was important in all schools to avoid unnecessary disciplinary issues and improve the academic performance of the students.
“One important practice we need to do in our schools is humility,” she said.
“We have to submit, then listen and work side by side with our leaders.