Scientology ministers leave PNG

 SCIENTOLOGY Volunteer Ministers, the Pacific good will tour, is now leaving PNG shores.

The group had been providing free seminars and training on the technology of study for the past seven months.

They had delivered seminars to more than 50,000 people throughout the country, according to director Mathew Andrews.

Andrews said last Wednesday that there were now many volunteer ministers groups who would continue to help their local communities with the 19 subjects that made up the ministers programme.

He said the United Nations development programme 2009 report ranked PNG 159 out of 180 countries covered by their annual report. 

“In addition to this, as of March 31, last year, the US department of state reports literacy in PNG to be only 49.3%,” Andrews said. 

He said another startling fact was that, less than one in every five students went on to secondary schools.

 “With education not for free and not compulsory it does not seem like things will change fast.” 

Andrews said nothing stayed the same, adding it either gets better or worse. 

“If things are left to continue as they are, then it is inevitable that the education of our children and thus the future of PNG will only get worse,” he said.  

He said over-filled class-sizes, economic disadvantages and “learning disorders” were common, saying that yet underlying all this, there are three barriers that keep one from successfully studying a subject.