Education exhibition ends on high note

The Education Exhibition held on Oct 29 and 30 in the Sir John Guise Indoor Sports Complex in the National Capital District concluded on a high note.
The event, the first ever staged by the Department of Education, was officially opened by the Minister for Education, Nick Kuman and attracted a good number of students and members of the public on both days.
Kuman said that the exhibition has never been staged by the Ministry of Education or by the Department of Education. He said the occasion has given the Ministry the opportunity to show to future young leaders what the department has and can offer to the people of Papua New Guinea.
He said the Ministry of Education has achieved a lot in the past as well as at present under the leadership of the Prime Minister Peter O’Neill. He said, although the department has faced challenges, it has moved forward and would progress because of its sound policies and dedicated staff who have guided and led the many achievements some of which were showcased over the two days. He also said that the two-day show has given the public some idea of what the Ministry of Education, as a large ministry in the Government system of PNG has been doing through its divisions and educational institutions, including its partners.
The exhibition was officially closed by the Vice Minister for Education Chris Nangoi. He told the crowd about his challenges experienced as a student in primary and secondary schools. He said that he did his matriculation studies with the College of Distance Education (Code) now known as Flexible, Open and Distance Education (Fode) before he was accepted at the University of Technology in Lae to do studies in Electrical Engineering for four years. He successfully obtained a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and aimed to work hard when he started working. After working for some years, he decided to be a businessman and became a successful businessman.
In 2017, when the national elections were conducted, he contested and won the Sumkar seat in the Madang. He thanked the current government for appointing him as Vice Minister for education. He also said that he is proud to be a role model for the young people who are striving to complete their education through distance learning in order to earn a living in the future. He also encouraged young people to study and work hard towards their future dreams.
Secretary Dr Uke Kombra reiterated that the exhibition has shown what the department is actually doing which has given the public a chance to see and be aware of the functions of the different divisions within the department.
The exhibition saw a total of 31 exhibitors who participated – 17 divisions of the Department of Education, Office of Libraries and Archives, four vocational centres, two technical colleges, one national high school, two technical secondary schools, one technical institute and four companies that sponsored the event. Many students, teachers and members of the public benefitted from the information obtained on the new initiatives such as the new school structure, standard-based education curriculum, school registration processes, teachers’ inspection processes and development partners’ new programmess to support the education system.

• Article and pictures courtesy of the Media Unit of the Department of Education.