Platform to link researchers

By MELYNE BAROI
A platform will enable education researchers and academics to publish various studies and interact with counterparts from across the different levels of education to influence change and development in the education system in the country.
The Online Papua New Guinea Journal for Education (PNG JE), previously known as the South Pacific Journal of Education, was launched at the Papua New Guinea National Research Institute (NRI) on Friday.
The editor of the PNG JE and senior research fellow and programme leader of the education research programme at NRI, Dr Kilala Devette-Chee said that this was the third and biggest revival of this platform.
“Although this platform was established in 1963, it has always been paper-based until now which provides a much improved accessibility and connectivity,” she said.
“Through the committee board made up of representatives from each university in the country as well as the Education Department and the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST), we decided to run this platform online.
“The website will need to be renewed every 24 months through the website subscription by international e-commerce company Vistaprint Netherlands.”
Kilala said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) had always been the biggest supporter of programmes and projects hosted by the NRI.
She said DFAT had stepped in to fund the online platform as well.
“Throughout the years, the platform had repeatedly failed, recent one being in 2014 as there was not much emphasis made to this platform and no funding,” she said.
“We look forward for abstracts to be submitted through the ‘call for papers’ page on the platform which will be used to present proposals to the government for an improved education system in the country.”