Rejected initially, Jackson is now reaching for the sky

By KELVIN JOE
WHEN he submitted his application to pursue a master’s degree in public administration programme next year, Jackson Komba, 42, reminisced about the tough life he endured as a young man in his mother’s village.
After his parents divorced, his mother took him to her village, when he was two-years-old in 1980, to be brought up by his grandparents and uncles. His mother remarried and left him behind to join her new husband in Hela.
Jackson, from Yakuman-Yalis village in Wapenamanda, Enga, remembers being rejected so many times. He was not even allowed to enroll at the village community school.
He felt like a stranger in his mother’s village because he was seen and treated differently.
His father Joseph Komba was a career public servant.
“I was 12 when I reunited with my father – a public servant and politician. It was the turning point for me. I started to think positively, with a desire to be like him someday.”
It drove him back to school. He enrolled in Grade One at the Ukagu Community School in Hela in 1987. But that ended abruptly because of the continuous tribal fights in the area.
He stayed home for years before returning to Enga. He wanted to enroll in the village school but the teachers rejected him because he was already 12.
In 1994, his dad helped Jackson enroll at the Lowlai Community School in Grade Three.
“I had to walk for two hours to attend school and return home. But the school closed down for some reason. So, I was transferred to the Wapenamada Primary School. But they wanted me to be in Grade Five because I was 15.
“I was forced to skip the second, third and fourth grades. But I managed to do well that year.”

“ They wanted me to be in Grade Five because I was 15. I was forced to skip the second, third and fourth grades. But I managed to do well that year.”

In Grade Six, Jackson was elected school captain. Later in Grade Seven and Grade Eight in 1996, he became school president.
He completed Grade Nine and Grade 10 at the St Pauls Lutheran High School in 1998 and 1999. He also was doing upper-secondary studies through matriculation at the Wabag Open College.
In 2000, he secured a space at the University of PNG’s School of Humanities and Social Science, majoring in Language and Communication. He graduated with a diploma in 2003, and a degree in 2005.
Recently he graduated from the Pacific Institute of Leadership and Governance. He now is a public servant.
“I thank my employer and the management for setting up initiatives such as staff training, and for supporting our studies by providing opportunities to develop skills and knowledge to improve standards and achieve goals.”
Also as a private consultation service provider, Jackson hopes to help other people succeed in life because he once was helped by others to achieve his goals.
After a difficult start to his life, Jackson now has academic qualifications no one thought he would achieve. He thanked God for that tough upbringing which empowered and drove him to be successful and become a better person.
He has also strengthened family connections between Enga and Hela.
He is interested in politics like his dad but for now the priority is to complete his education journey first. Jackson is looking forward to start the master’s degree programme next year, to qualify for a top management position.
His advice to young people is to pursue education with vigour, determination and commitment.
“Set your goal and give it your best shot. Move a step closer each time to achieve it. Always fight the odds along the way to prove that you are not a failure, that you can create your own world.”

Jammie fights on for family

By AILEEN KWARAGU
DESPITE having a Diploma in Drafting from the National Polytechnic Institute in Lae, Jammie Kau chooses to work as a security guard to provide for him and his family.
Brought by his grandparents whom he regards as his defacto biological parents in a typical village lifestyle, he reckons that life could not be any easy.
“I always tell myself that one day our parents will be gone and we cannot always rely on them to provide for us.”
Jammie, 24, the eldest of six siblings, works as a site supervisor with a security company. He could not find any job related to his diploma primarily because he still lacks work experience.
He is from the Dange tribe of Katalku village in North-Waghi, Jiwaka. His father, Kau Manjwil, is a former member of the Mondugl constituency.
Before graduating as a draftsman in 2019, he spent most of his life in Jiwaka.
From 2006 to 2008, he attended the Katalku Elementary School, and spent 2009 to 2013 at the Dona Primary School.
After completing primary school, Jammie attended the Nondul High School for grades 9 and 10.
He then went to the Anglimp Secondary School at the border of Jiwaka and Western Highlands to complete grades 11 and 12.
Jammie wanted to further his studies but financial issues did not allow him to pursue a mechanical engineering programme.
“I have six siblings and they all have to be in school, especially my second-born sister who is currently doing her final year at the University of Papua New Guinea.”
So he started working as a security guard.
He also realised the big difference between life in the city and back home in Jiwaka where his mother Maria Kau and father Manjwil, who are just subsistence farmers, always provided everything for them.
Jammie is married to Jane Agen and has a three-year-old son. They live in one of Port Moresby surburbs.
“When my son grows up, I will use my story as a testimony to encourage him and other young people who do not take life seriously.”
He has been offered a job with a company as a draftsman and hopes it will help him look after his family.