Kilakila students showcase provincial art and culture

By SHIRLYN BELDEN
GRADE Nine students of Kilakila Secondary School in National Capital District have been encouraged to promote and maintain their cultural identity.
They staged a cultural presentation last Friday as part of their term assessment. 
The show was an initiative of the school’s personnel development department.
Students were assigned to perform dances and songs.
Under the theme “culture identity” the students also explained their provincial colours and emblems so that they could regard them with pride and in recognition of the PNG Melanesian culture.
The 380 students from the eight classes studied cultural identity during term 4 as a concept of self-identification.
The show was first staged last year.
Teacher Nathaniel Tumu said the show intended to promote, maintain and instill in students the importance of culture and its impact on
people in this age of modern technology.
He said the students explored and showcased their personal and cultural identity, of who they were and what they were in the modern age. 
“The students came in their traditional attires and colors, using the school environment as the starting point to identify factors that give their identity as an individual and a class with origins from their respective provinces,” Tumu said.
Personal development is a minor subject taught across the grade.
It teaches physical and mental development and the factors that influence the whole aspect of personal enrichment of a young pupil.
The students were marked out of 40 points according to the following criteria: presentation of details, traditional wear, explanation of provincial flag, group work, confidence and articulation.