Lihirian pair get help to study at Brisbane college

TWO Grade 10 students from New Ireland’s Lihir International School are the first recipients of Mineral Resources Lihir Capital’s funded
secondary scholarships to do their senior high school education at St Peter’s Lutheran College in Brisbane, Australia, next year.
Mineral Resources Lihir Capital (MRLC) chief executive officer Lawrence Rausim said after a stringent application and vetting process in collaboration with St Peter’s, Katie Kamong and Thomas Toisiat were selected on eligibility and academic merit.
He said there was an existing scholarship programme where Grade 12 students undertake tertiary studies in Australia, but most failed their units in the second or third year.
“We realised that the standard of PNG education does not prepare students for overseas studies,” Rausim said.
“We decided to partner with St Peter’s as they have a programme that is running and have been helping many students from PNG.
Students will be tested on the level of PNG’s secondary education then given remedial programmes to ensure they understand the Australian curriculum before taking undergraduate programmes after Grade 12.”
St Peter’s community engagement director Ross Thomson said they were proud to partner with MRLC to provide educational pathway for young Lihirians at a reputable secondary institution that had close ties with PNG, that would cultivate the relationship with the Lihirians.
“After an awareness by St Peters in Lihir last year, the students applied and they would repeat grade 10 next year,” he said.
Rausim added that this ensured Lihirians received quality education at recognised institutions so they could come back and contribute to the human resources of their island communities.
“The programme was established in 2010 under MRLC’s community service obligation charter and managed through MRLC foundation.
It will be an annual programme, targeting only two students, male and female, and will cost about K2 million.”