John and Priscilla thank sponsor

By PAUL MINGA
BEHIND every successful man is a strong supportive woman.
The saying is absolutely true because often times a man is supported or aided into making accomplishments or achieve something as a result of his partner’s (wife’s) input and effort.
Likewise behind the success of every student are their parents or a sponsor.
John Gono, 24, from Mombol-Kaunang village in Banz, and Priscilla Yalti, 30, from Jiwaka’s Bunum Woo, in Jiwaka both graduated with business management degrees from the University of PNG in April this year.
Both would not have made it this far if it wasn’t for a kind and supportive person behind them paying a bigger fraction of their university fees – looking into other vital needs as their bus fares, food and accommodation during their studies in the city premier institution as day students.
What was fortunate for John and Priscilla has been a kind and understanding person who was behind them as sponsor, making sure that both achieved their dreams.
That man was Daniel Dai.
Daniel is Priscilla’s husband and an uncle of John. John is a happy and grateful man now becasue he has a university degree to his name.
“If my uncle (Daniel) wasn’t working and had not been around for me l would have withdrawn from studies like most students coming from subsistence farming background are doing these days.
“If l had withdrawn or left studies that would have been something very painful and tormenting to my poor parents. Also this would have crushed all hope and expectations of my dear mum and dad; their 12 years of hard work, toil and sweat would have gone to waste and l would have been hanging around in the street or at home in the jungle of Kepmona,” John said.
He said further that although Daniel his uncle had his wife and siblings take care and other family commitments, he didn’t let him down.”
“Through Danie’sl untiring and continuous support – this has seen me through the final leg of my education journey. Therefore, l wish to take this opportunity to thank Daniel for funding a bigger part of my school fees which in fact was a big relief for my poor parents who are only subsistence farmers.”
The UPNG graduate further shared the plight of his subsistence farming parents saying that during his high school and secondary school days, his parents were able to meet his school fees through income generated from the sale of coffee, garden produce and pigs accumulated over a time to meet his school fees that were as reasonable and something below K2,000.
“But the university fees were well over K5,000. When l found out about this high university fees, l thought of giving up as my poor parents were not in a position to afford such an amount of money for the school fees.
“But l’m glad my uncle was as a hope to the hopeless and this has seen me through in achieving my goal.”
John said he felt indebted to his uncle for his kindness in stepping in at crucial stages of his education journey. John thanked his uncle Daniel for being close to him and Priscilla and enabling them financially to achieve their dreams.
Both John and Priscilla were pleased and grateful in showing their gratitude and being thankful to their sponsor.
To add something more to this story, John and Priscilla were indeed fortunate to have a family member or relative in Daniel working. If that wasn’t so it would have been a different story for them.
In many parts of our country today, especially in rural parts of PNG, very intelligent students couldn’t continue their education journey due to their poor subsistence farming parents unable to meet the required school fees.
For few students who have a family member working there is a bit of hope unlike those unfortunate ones.
But the saddest thing is, in a family or community where not a single person is formally employed or has a reliable source of income.
In such a sad scenario, some students who would have made it as airline pilots, engineers, accountants, lawyers and so forth, their potential cannot be harnessed and their future is in limbo.
That is a direct result of PNG’s higher education fees that are beyond reach for the ordinary grassroots parents.
But it very fortunate when students have an understanding family member or relative coming to their aid as in the case of John and Priscilla.

• Paul Minga is a freelance writer.