Fode giving students another chance

The National National

By GLORIA BAUAI
FLEXIBLE open and distance learning education (Fode) bridges an unseen gap in the rural areas of Papua New Guinea, says a teacher with over 20 years of service in Fode studies.
MaryAnne Vura said Fode was a pathway to education, offering a second chance to students who couldn’t continue to grades nine, 10 or 12.
This service offers similar content to secondary learning but classes are not full-time and do not require a full-time teacher.
Vura said the benefit of this service was that it reached the rural areas where there were fewer high schools and secondary schools.
She explained that students only came to Fode centre to pick up materials to take home while teachers were available to coach students.
Vura, who has background as an accelerated Christian educator, left her high-paying job in the international school system and switched to government schools to focus on Fode because she wanted to help school dropouts and other unfortunate youths.
She said there was a big need, especially in the rural areas, because most students who dropped out of the formal education system thought there was no hope for them.
This year, Vura took up the role as the Fode coordinator for Morobe local level government.
The LLG has over 20 primary schools but only one secondary school, the Morobe Technical High School, (MTHS) with which the Fode service is now attached.
Vura said starting in a district like Morobe LLG, was not easy.
The centre is operating out of a classroom offered by MTHS, without a proper office set-up, including a laptop, printer, study tables and chairs.
“Nevertheless, the interest expressed by locals to study Fode has been overwhelming,” Vura said.
Her journey with Fode has taken her to West New Britain, AROB and back to Morobe.
“I have students who are now pilots, doctors, accountants, businessmen and women,” she said.
“And it is my dream that by the end of 2021, I will graduate my first grade 12s for Morobe LLG and see them go to universities and colleges.”
She is calling on provincial and local level governments to give 100 per cent support to their Fode centre to better educate their youth population for the future.