Students mark women’s day

By LARRY ANDREW
FEMALE students from two Lae schools took part in a Papua New Guinea National Rugby League (PNGNRL) programme to celebrate International Women’s Day at the Lae Rugby League Ground yesterday.
The event saw guests, including Lae Rugby League president Adrian Chow, in attendance to encourage the students from Lae Secondary and Bumayong Secondary.
A minute of silence was observed in respect of the late Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare before the programme started.
PNGNRL Lae lead game development officer Maima Wei said the theme for the day was “Choose to Challenge” and the two key messages were about respect and education.
“Where does respect start? Respect starts with yourself, so if you do not respect yourself, how can you expect other people to respect you?” she said.
“Respecting yourself is about taking care of your physical appearance, having good manners and focusing on your education.
“The main goal when we finish schooling is to get a job, so if you don’t respect your education, you won’t really get far.
“So we must respect ourselves and respect our education,” Wei said sports primed women and girls to lead in every aspect of life and not just sports.
Bumayong Secondary principal Sarah Tapo said there were challenges in every sport.
“As a player on the field, you have to face challenges,” she said.
“I want us all to know that we were chosen for challenges even in our various walks of life.
“We must accept that we are women, know our roles and responsibilities to ourselves, families, jobs, education and others.
“Secondly, communicate with others, if you do not communicate with the rest of your team then you will lose confidence in them.
“The rule of the game is to score and win.
“All your team members will work together, no matter how strong your opponents are.
“You will still be satisfied, whether you win or lose because next time when you are chosen for a challenge, your strengths and experiences will help you overcome obstacles and be successful.”