Sportsmen, women receive IBS education

TEAM Papua New Guinea athletes studying at the Institute of Business Studies College of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) have scored high marks in their studies this year with three receiving awards at the graduation ceremony in Port Moresby on Friday.
Three of the six athletes finished in the top-three with Karate athlete Buruka Chapau awarded the dux after finishing first in certificate three in information technology. His classmate and PNG footballer Roland Bala came in third place.
Volleyballer Annrika Garena finished second in the certificate three in business.
The other athletes who also graduated were Miriam Stanley, Symoena Gesa and Julius Piku.
“As a young mother and sports ambassador who is balancing education (school), family and sports, it is never an easy road to take but managing it and facing the challenges have made me grown as a person,” Garena said.
Chapau said: “I faced a lot of challenges to get here and to finally get this award I’m proud of this achievement.
“My ambition is to be a cyber-security officer.”
He thanked the PNG Olympic Committee (PNGOC) and IBS University (IBSU) for the scholarship, saying that it was a good initiative to help athletes look forward to future after their sporting careers.
Bala said: “I was out of the classroom for almost 10 years, thinking that soccer was everything to me.
“But getting injured, injuries will always happen, and you know you have to do something after sports.
“For me, this (scholarship) has been an eye-opener and a big blessing for me. Thanks to IBS in partnership with PNGOC, they have given me this scholarship to pursue an opportunity to get educated and further my studies.
“As an athlete, we all know what hard work, commitment and dedication is.
“We know how to succeed in sports but in life, we need to have a balance and that’s where education comes into play.
“To all the young athletes out there, think about this opportunity and get educated.”
PNGOC board member and PNG Athletes Commission chairman Ryan Pini encouraged the athletes to continue pursuing their education and to utilise their qualifications to seek opportunities.
Pini acknowledged the support of IBSU through the development of the athletes not just as individuals but as the future of the country.
“We work hard at training and do our best in competitions to get the best results for ourselves and our country,” the Commonwealth Games gold medallist said.
“We aim to do the same in life and a high-quality education such as the one offered at IBSU gives us the tools to do well in life.”
IBSU has been offering the scholarship since 2016, in partnership with PNGOC for athletes who have represented the country.
The scholarships are funded by IBSU.
This year, nine athletes undertook studies at the IBS College of TVET, however, three did not complete studies due to personal reasons.
Of the six who graduated, four of them completed their studies in certificate three in business and two graduated in certificate three in information technology.