COMMUNITY

Research is vital

By KEVIN PAMBA
RESEARCH informs policy, decision-making and other aspects of leadership and governance in the public sector and elsewhere.
This ought to be the norm in Papua New Guinea, particularly in the public sector, where it deals with the running affairs of the country.
Without research, a policy, decision or action by, for example a government and its instrumentalities can be as good as someone’s educated guesswork, personal perspective or born out of sectarian conviction.
The public servants and their peers from other sectors enrolled in the Master of Public Administration and Master of Leadership in Development programs in PNG’s Divine Word University can count themselves fortunate as they are given the exposure to the art of social research.
This is so the professionals from the public sector and other sectors can hone research skills they can apply back in their offices or work settings. As part of their study, the students put into practice what they learn by going through the process of research from conception of a topic (problem) to writing a dissertation (as partial fulfillment of their masters degrees.
This is facilitated through two units or subjects that the masters students take up in Semester One and Semester Three of their four-semester (two years) of study.
In the first semester, the students in the Master of Public Administration and Master of Leadership in Development take up the unit (subject) called “Applied Research and Evaluation Methods”.
The Department of Governance and Leadership, the academic department that hosts the two masters programs says “this unit introduces students to concepts and theories that underpin the social research and research process.”
“It exposes students to various ethical issues that may arise in the conduct as well as to differentiate research approaches and techniques.”
In the third semester, the students take up the follow up unit called “Data Analysis and Research Report Writing”.
“In this unit, students are guided to produce a report on the research problem they have developed in the first unit (Applied Research and Evaluation Methods),” says the Department of Governance and Leadership.
“Crafting skills are developed for sections such as introduction, context, literature review, design of the study, analysis of the results, discussion, recommendations, referencing and appendices.”
The Master of Public Administration and Master of Leadership in Development programs, with the research skills they impart, can be the kind of catalyst keen public servants or any other professionals need to spur their desires to lead change for the better. The research skills honed in the two programs also assists graduates for future research-based studies.
The Master of Public Administration and Master of Leadership in Development are currently offered through the flexible learning (FL) mode of study in the Madang campus.
Those interested can contact the DWU Flexible Learning Centre on email [email protected]

• Dr Kevin Pamba PhD is a Senior lecturer in Governance and Leadership in DWU.

PM meets Sepik friends

PRIME Minister James Marape accepted a hand of friendship and goodwill extended by the people of Yangoru-Sausia and MP Richard Maru during the Easter weekend. Marape accepted a swanga – a highly valued shell money in Yangoru-Sausia – when he was in the district to open the K10 million Handra Bridge.
Swanga is used to forge marriages, given to males to seal their adoption into another clan or family, and given to a person to accord recognition as a leader or chief with the authority to represent their people. Local chiefs Willie Wamaingu and Joseph Lekiemani said James Marape and Richard Maru were now considered brothers as symbolised by the shell money. They said the Yangoru-Sausia people now saw Tari-Pori as a sister district.
But the swanga has now been accorded a political meaning as well. Its presentation extends to forge a political alliance between Pangu, led by Marape, and the People’s First Party, led by Maru. If either party wins the majority of the votes in the coming election and is invited by the governor-general to form government, then it will invite the other to join in a coalition.
Marape thanked the chiefs and people of Yangoru-Sausia for the friendship and reception. He said the bond and brotherhood between him and Maru had been a lifetime friendship, not only in politics. He said Maru was a man of integrity, principle and strong leadership in Sepik and the country.
“I have the greatest respect for Maru and other Sepik leaders, including Governor Allan Bird and Agriculture Minister John Simon. We, a group of like-minded leaders, have formed this government to give equal and fair distribution of resources to all our people right throughout the country,” he said.
At the occasion, Marape presented K1.3million to the district development authority to settle outstanding bills and announced a funding of K6 million for roads in the district.
He also pledged another K1million for Numbo High School and K500,000 for the Flexible Open Distance Education (Fode) center at the school.– Story and picture by REX NARANIENG