Former classmates on opposite sides of graduation

Education

THE three were once classmates at a seminary and now one of them has ended up teaching the other two in university years later.
Seniot tutor Anton Sumuk Simbai said last Tuesday’s University of Goroka (UOG) graduation was a proud moment
for him as two of the students were men he attended seminary with in their native Chimbu years ago.
Simbai, Michael Kuria and Solomon Bom are ex-seminarians who have since gone on to different careers.
“We were classmates in three different seminaries,” Simbai said.
“As their tutor over the last four years, I am more than proud to see them graduate.”
Simbai also remembered two fellow academics Fr Luke Apa and Fr Harry Gahare who fell victim to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) last year.
The two priests along with Simbai, contracted the virus with the two men succumbing at the peak of the pandemic in the country. “I recovered twice and survived to witness the graduation day of my two former colleagues and students Bom and Kuria,” Simbai said.
“Once we were all classmates, but today, I am humbled to say that they have been my faithful disciples following lectures and instructions as students and now they have graduated.”
Simbai, a graduate theologian, studied at three different seminaries.
He has been a senior tutor since 2018 at the UOG lecturing in religious education and psychology designing and introducing new courses complying to the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology standards with the accredited programmes delivered in the division of social science under school of humanities.
“UOG being a teacher training university prepares teachers to teach students those concepts and skills in the main school systems as well as producing social workers and counsellors,” he said.