Porgera Joint Venture trains elementary teachers

Enga students can now have the benefit of well-trained teachers, thanks to Porgera Joint Venture (PJV).
All teachers in Enga will be trained by experts from programme partners Kokoda Track Foundation (KTF), PNG Education Institute (PNGEI) and National Department of Education (NDoE) over six weeks.
The programme adds to the significant investment in teaching being made by PJV and national and provincial governments, through the K34 million Enga Teachers’ College.
It was funded under PJV’s tax credit scheme last year.
The training programme ‘Teach for Tomorrow’ enables partially-trained elementary teachers to complete their certificates and become certified as fully-fledged.
Trainee teachers will participate in lectures, practicum, workshops, and assessments co-delivered by trainers from KTF, PNGEI and NDoE.
KTF chief executive Dr Genevieve Nelson said once they were certified, the graduate teachers would have the opportunity to be included in the Government payroll. This is after years of volunteering.
“We are thrilled to once again be working in partnership with PNGEI and the Department of Education as well as the Engan provincial education authorities,” Nelson said.
She said 120 trainee teachers had waited a long time for this training after working tirelessly as volunteers in their village schools. Enga is the 12th province that KTF has introduced the ‘Teach for Tomorrow’ programme.
Nelson said that over the past 20 months, KTF and its partners had trained 2580 teachers in Northern, Gulf, Milne Bay, Morobe, Manus, New Ireland, Chimbu, Central, West Sepik, National Capital District and Autonomous Region of Bougainville.