Teacher with disability wins scholarship

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Friday, May 6, 2011

A TEACHER with disability at the Tokarara Primary school in Port Moresby is among seven finalists from around the Asia-Pacific region se­lected to study under the prestigious Japanese Dus­kin Leadership Scho­larship programme.
Challie Temane, from Southern Highlands, will become the first person with disability in the country to study under the 10-month programme funded by the Duskin Ainowa Foundation and facilitated by the Japanese society for rehabilitation of persons with disability.
“When an application form was posted in 2009 for its 13th leadership training, the National Board for Disabled Persons gave an open invitation to all interested people with disabilities to apply,” chairman Brown Kapi said.
He said there were 20 applicants and three from Papua New Guinea were short-listed.
The Japanese team vi­sited the country from April 3-5 to conduct interviews.
“Although this programme started in 1999, it has not selected or even conducted interviews in PNG until recently” he added.
“For the first time PNG was recognised as a possible nominee for the leadership programme,” Kapi said.
He commended Te­mane who leaves in September for Japan.