Homegrown scholars vital

HOMEGROWN scholars can provide better services to the country than others who pursue studies overseas, a professor says.
University of Papua New Guinea’s (UPNG) school of business and public policy executive dean Lekshmi Pillai said programmes provided here were contemporary to the Papua New Guinea environment.
He said this during the university’s 15 masters pinnacle programme last Thursday.
He said masters programmes provided in PNG were more applicable to the local settings.
Prof Pillai said those that pursued studies overseas were focused more on the international level and this did not always mesh with the local system.
“There are lots of people doing masters (MBA) out of the country but when they come back to the country, they feel like aliens,” he said. “We have built quality human resources through both masters and doctorate programmes here that will certainly contribute to the development of this nation.”
The one-day pinnacle programme was based on the issue “Impact of the Covid-19: Challenges and opportunities” for the students to discuss.
Prof Pillai said the masters pinnacle programme was the opportunity for MBA students to demonstrate the skills, knowledge and understanding they gained during their studies through a competition that involved quizzes, debates and a business plan. “The main purpose of the pinnacle is to demonstrate knowledge, skills and capability of our masters’ students.”
Prof Pillai said UPNG ensured that masters programme offered were more interactive, practical, contemporary and based on the country’s needs. UPNG vice-chancellor Frank Griffin said the issues that would be discussed during the event was real as the Covid-19 affected everyone.