Morobe schools exhibit knowledge

By EREBIRI ZURENUOC
THE inaugural Morobe Inter-School Exhibition was a success for the high schools and secondary schools that took part.
Many students and their teachers were able to grasp new information and ideas just by observing and interacting during the two-day event on June 27 and 28.
The exhibition saw 13 schools participating; Wantoat High School in Markham District, Pindiu High School in Finschhafen, Sialum High School in Tewai-Siassi, Grace Memorial Secondary and Bayune Lutheran Secondary School in Bulolo, Wawin National High School, Markham Valley Secondary School, Menyamya Secondary School, Malahang Technical Secondary, Bumayong, Busu, Bugandi and Lae Secondary Schools.
Dregerhafen Secondary School in Finschhafen and Lae Christian Academy were the only absentees.
The 13 schools brought together more than 272 items with more than 500 participants.
Items displayed were in categories of science and technology, arts and culture, tourism and hospitality, agriculture and the use of herbs, and entertainment.
The exhibition started as a mini school exhibition by Busu Secondary School in 2018. The provincial education division adopted the concept to involve all secondary schools within Morobe, and the principal of Busu Secondary, George Noble, was tasked to do a bigger exhibition.
Education advisor Keith Jiram explained that the event was beyond academic studies, and focused more on building a peaceful and prosperous society.
“Our schools in Morobe came through tough times, with school fights, cult practices and other issues,” he said.
“This has affected the academic performance of students, student relationships, and even relations between students and teachers. This has contributed to a lot of concerns by parents and communities.
“We have however, been able to manage that. Our education system is now stable, and we are looking at ways to help our students psychologically.”
He said the province needed to look beyond academic performance in order to create a peaceful environment for students and also the communities, and the exhibition was able to achieve that.
Funding of K100,000 was provided by Morobe provincial administration through the 2019 provincial budget to host the event.
With the theme Creativity, Innovation and Unity in Education, the two-day event was informative, with students displaying or showcasing ideas and information they have learnt in class. The second day was full of fun and enjoyment, with dramas on student and welfare issues, and a fashion parade.
All the schools gave their 100 per cent effort to participate in the first-of-its-kind school exhibition. Menyamya Secondary School is no exception; on day one of the exhibition it brought out the “cultural vibe” which was an eye-opener for most city students who attended.
Menyamya Secondary School is a remote level nine school located at the Menyamya district station. A boarding school with more than 1,000 students from grades 9 to 12, its mess can only cater for meals in the morning and evening.
I met the school’s exhibition coordinator who is the head of the science department. Karina Kahu was keen to talk about the school, and the 60-plus students when I asked her for an interview.
“Menyamya Secondary School is very remote, and we teachers try our best to provide the best learning environment for our students,” she told me.
“It was good that they took part in this exhibition so they learn new ideas, and learn from their peers.”
But before I could ask another question, she opted for me to talk to the students, which I could not wait to do.
Nearly all the students who were part of the exhibition are grade 11 science students. Under the arts and culture category, the Menyamya students displayed their culture, a possible tourist attraction for their remote locality.
I had a chat with Taris Kenos, a grade 11 (female) student who painted a tree kangaroo. I asked her why she displayed the painting of a tree kangaroo, instead of bringing a real one, and she said the animal was no longer found in their area.
“Our traditional way of making music comes from the tree kangaroo. They taught us how to use the thin bamboo to make music,” she told me.
“Today in most of our traditional dance and singsing, the bamboo flute is our identity.”
Morrison Obert was already circled by his peers as he was displaying his traditional way of making a fire. Everyone was watching, waiting for the smoke to burst into flame.
Chriswell Yaye explained the identity of males, a head-dress or sise worn by chiefs and local leaders. It is made from a plant called lauye in the local language. Lauye is a grass-like plant, woven into a long strip to fit the head.
Japheth Noah explained the bow and arrow and the traditional salt. He said the salt was made by their ancestors for medical purposes to cure sores and skin diseases. I also met grade 12 Agriculture student Owen Ringiwi who was displaying the students’ own version of chicken feed.
His agriculture teacher Isaac Roven told me the deteriorating road conditions in Menyamya have inflated the costsof goods sold in the area.
“Stock feed bags are bought for the normal price in Lae but when transported to Menyamya, sellers charge K40 and K50 on top,” he said.
“It was difficult for people to raise chickens or look after them for selling and generating incomes, so the students decided to make stockfeed from garden produce and fish farmed inland.”
Head girl Regina Nick when interviewed on the final day of the event, said the students gave their full effort to participate in the event.
“It is our first time though. More than 60 of us came to attend the event, and the principal hired about six cars to transport us to Lae,” she said.
“There’s so much to learn; we have met new friends and got to know new things to help us back in Menyamya. Some of those ideas we haven’t learnt in class. It is a bonus for those who attend,” she said.
Kahu said the exhibition was a new learning environment for the students, and gave them the confidence that they can do what others can do.
“Being a remote school, culturally they were able to showcase their rural life to their peers, and they also learnt to be more advanced with whatever ideas they already had,” she said.
The items and ideas presented by students from all the schools reflected their environment or surrounding, solutions to current national and global issues, skills and talents for generating personal income and mch more.
Wantoat High School students displayed a coffee pulping machine made from waste/recycled materials, an initiative that embodies the resilience of rural people in the Wantoat area of the Markham district. They also displayed a hydraulic system they created themselves. Some Sialum High School students made cowboy hats, one of the best tourism products in the Sialum area, which is well known for its cattle ranches. Malahang Technical Secondary School students from the mechanical and building departments made chairs, tables and outdoor dining sets from recycled tyres, timber and cane.
The Mr and Mrs Morobe fashion parade on the last day included categories of traditional wear, national wear and innovative wear (own designs) which were incredible also.
There were no issues between students or alcohol problems.
Noble said there wasn’t any hiccup and everything ran smoothly.
“Schools from remote places performed to their best. The teachers from all the urban schools supported the event well and it was a success.
“The provincial education board made sure the funds were on time. Judges were fulltime judging the items and presentations so it was fair.”
He recalled history students doing presentations on WWII, and two Australian police officers were asking a lot of questions, but the students were very fluent in explaining to them.
“This goes to show that our students can build confidence through such events. And they can know how to do research in the libraries and internet and to present factual information.
“I think students will now concentrate on getting ready for this annual event, which is good because students will now leave bad activities.
“All the drama was meaningful and I wish parents turned up to see what the students performed. Menyamya students used a real coffin in their drama to emphasise domestic violence and murder, for a real natural effect in their play.”
He said though many students participated both in their item presentations and by getting information from peers, parents did not attend to witness the items presented.
“The event will be evaluated by committee members and few teachers to see where to improve in the coming years,” he said.
Morobe’s senior professional assistant for education services Berei Kalo when closing the exhibition, described the event as remarkable.
“In my time there wasn’t any school activity like this. The presentations by students were excellent, both practical and in songs and drama.
“We promise that next year this exhibition will be bigger and better, and invitations will be sent out to parents, guardians and the general community to attend.
“This will be an annual event for the high schools, secondary schools and even technical vocational education training (TVET) centres.”
He then declared the exhibition closed.