Malala gifted with ICT lab

EDUCATION

By JAMES KILA
A CATCH phrase which goes “Once a Malala, always a Malala” echoed once more on Saturday, March 2 by several former students of Malala Catholic Secondary School who converged on the campus in the Almami LLG of Bogia district, Madang.
The occasion was the official opening and the commissioning of a brand new information and communication technology (ICT) laboratory for the school.
The facility was built at a cost of over K940,000 with funding assistance from the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) under its social corporate responsibility.
The scorching heat of the mid-morning sunlight that did not dampen the spirit of the local dancers from Amiten-Susure villages to perform a traditional dance called Dabol-wo to grace the occasion.
NFA Managing Director, Justin Ilakini, who happens to be one of the pioneer graduates of Malala Secondary School in 1993, led a procession of dignitaries to an area which used to be a basketball court and a dancing ground where Malala high and secondary students in the past had swayed their bodies to the tempo of various music genres usually on scheduled Friday nights.
Amongst the dignitaries were former students including Madang province Governor Ramsey Pariwa, National Executive Council Secretary Grace So’on, Assistant Secretary to the National Department of Education ICT Thomas Podarua and Bogia District Administrator Jacob Asevi, to name a few.
Principal of Malala Catholic Secondary School, John Tomokai, who delivered the opening address, expressed his gratitude, appreciation and thanks to the NFA for funding this important infrastructure which would assist in transforming the minds of the younger generation particularly those passing through the institution.
Tomokai also made special mention of the Haus Bung concept, which is a collective dream, vision, determination and motivation from former Malala Catholic Secondary School students. It was the members of Haus Bung who were instrumental in putting together a submission to the NFA for funding towards the new ICT lab.
Governor Pariwa was accorded the honour to cut the ribbon to formally open the new facility along with his former teacher and a nun administrator of Malala Catholic Secondary School, Sr Ingeburg Pircher.
Pariwa also made a commitment of K100,000 as an initial assistance for the installation of broadband internet connectivity to compliment the new ICT Laboratory at the school.
During his address he recalled his days at Malala when they were introduced to using computers initially with old manual typewriters. From those typewriters the principal then, late Sr Jane Frances Millane, brought them across to a new computer lab where their fingers became accustomed to the keys of actual computer keyboards.
Another former student, Grace So’on, who is currently attached with the NEC Secretariat delivered a beautiful speech in which she stressed to the students the importance of ICT and its usefulness in today’s modern technologically advanced era.

Ilakini spoke highly of Malala as a place where he had gained so much both academically and spiritually. He also took time to encourage the students who sat and listened attentively to the speeches.
“I hope that our coming back to our old school has given you some motivation and has given you some drive to see yourself differently. If the governor can do it, the NEC secretary can do it, the Bogia district administrator can do it and the NFA managing director can do it, then you too can do it,” Ilakini encouraged the students.
Madang Archbishop Anton Bal, whose jurisdiction the Malala educational institution falls under, conducted the benediction for the new ICT lab in accordance with Catholic Church ritual.
Archbishop Bal also delivered an inspirational message to those who gathered.
“Do not let a day go by without making a minute difference. If we let a day go by, we become a liability for somebody else.
“For us to make a minute difference is our contribution to greater good,” Archbishop Bal said.
Governor Pariwa thanked the Madang Catholic Archdiocese for continuing to provide quality education for the students in the province.
“I take this time to acknowledge and thank the Catholic Church for its immense contributions to nation-building over the years.
“Even before the Government came into being it was the churches who had cleared the pathways and laid the foundation for changes and development to take its course.”
Pariwa pointed out that his travel to Malala Secondary last Saturday was not only as a political leader of the province but as a former student of the school as well.
“I felt much obliged to come along and also felt challenged seeing the initiative taken by the NFA to come to Madang to fund such an important education infrastructure,” Pariwa stated.
The governor added that he was also challenged by the level of education standards in Madang province which in recent past had experienced a dramatic decline.

He said Malala Secondary School was once a top performing school in the country in terms of academic standards and excellence, however, that has degraded in the recent past.
“As the governor I must not sit back and watch NFA coming to Madang to develop the educational facilities in my province. It is my responsibility to come along and witness the new development so together with all other stakeholders in Madang we can work to improve our education standard in our province,” Pariwa said.
The governor also mentioned that one of the reasons he believed had partially caused the decline in education standard was the departure of expatriate teachers in high and secondary schools across the province.
Pariwa suggested that schools must start to seriously think about recruiting overseas volunteer teachers from Australia, New Zealand and even America to teach in schools in Madang once again.
“It is a matter of mindset shift. We are so bound and so captivated and trapped by so many cultures we have. But to have expatriate teachers from other countries coming to teach our students it opens up our mindset and brings us out of our cultural stalemate,” Pariwa said.
It was also an emotional encounter for me as a former student of Malala when I met my former teachers, Sr Edith and Sr Ingeburg as well as noticing the huge transformation to the place I had spent four high school years from 1984 to 1987.
Sr Ingeburg handed me her mobile phone and asked me to take pictures of her inside the ICT lab with the new computers neatly lined up at the background.
“Please take a picture of me with the computers so I can show Sister Jane when I meet her in heaven,” she said.
I was rather taken aback by her remark, however she continued on by stating that.
“I can only say that the Lord has done all these wonderful things, and all of you were the instruments. And it should all be for the glory of God.”
The new ICT laboratory was named in honour and in memoriam to late Sr Jane Frances Millane, a pioneer missionary of the Holy Spirit Sisters who had devoted most of her living years at Malala.
James Kila works as a media officer with the Madang Governor’s Office.