Lupari: Aim to be the best

 By MORTIMER YANGHARRY
THE Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Issac Lupari, shared his successful experiences and the abundant blessings of education when he visited the Enga students attending the University of Papua New Guinea last Monday.
Lupari, who is chairman of the Ipatas Foundation, the  Telikom National Soccer League and the patron of the UPNG Enga Students Association, urged the students to give their outmost best while in school.
“Education follows me everywhere I go.  I am connected to education. I believe in the abundant blessings of education and I greatly value the importance of attending UPNG.
“Education is close to because all the success I have gone through is because of education and I want you to give your best while here. Education is the key to a successful life.”
Lupari told the students that during his time, the level of education was not reached by many of the people and only the determined ones passed through each level of education until they entered university.
“Today, education is accessible and affordable. The government is prioritising and supporting education and competition is very high. You must be committed and disciplined to be the best,”
Lupari told the students of his upbringing from a subsistence family where his late father was a medical orderly who tried his best to keep him in school,” he said.
“I come from a family of five siblings and I was the only fortunate one to attend school.
“My village was two hours walk from Wabag High School and I usually woke up in the early hours of the morning to get to school. By 5am, I am already on my way to school.
“Every school day, I was given a single sweet potato (kaukau) for my lunch and had only a pair of clothes to wear to school.
“I sacrificed my time, effort and had to commit myself to be the best in life.”
Lupari told the students to be committed in their studies and set priorities right with achievable and realistic plans in place.
Lupari urged the students to excel in their studies and graduate with a quality degree as employers today look only for the few, intelligent and committed graduates.
“For me, because I performed extremely well, when I went for my first interview, I was told to immediately start.”
Lupari said that he attended UPNG in 1990 along with Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, NCD Governor Powes Parkop and Public Enterprises Minister Ben Micah.
“I travelled the length and the breadth of the world because I had to commit myself wholeheartedly to explore the great dimensions and blessings of education,” he said.