Teachers undergo skills upgrade

Weekender

WITH the support from the Government of PNG and the European Union, 60 vocation school teachers have completed a diploma course at the PNG Education Institute in Port Moresby.
This course will go a long way in improving the quality of teaching in vocation and technical centres all over PNG.
More teachers will follow their path.
This training is part of the European Union-supported Human Resource Development Project Phase 2, or HRDP2.
It involves around 360 teachers, already working in 10 different vocational training centres (VTCs) in six provinces: East Sepik, East New Britain, Enga, Morobe, Eastern Highlands and NCD.
They have undergone a 14-week in-service teacher training programme for teachers working in in VTCs. In-service means training given to teachers already working.
The first batch of 60 TVET teachers started this training in October 2017 and have now completed their last module.
They graduated on March 29, 2018 and many more will follow in the months to come.
One of the cornerstones of HRDP2 is to improve the quality of teaching in TVET.
Dalvice Manikuali, the course coordinator of the vocational unit of PNGEI, explains: “As all educationists know, the most important single factor in successful teaching is the teacher, and the most important single factor in learning is the student.
“Here the two meet, when the teachers become students and get this opportunity to upgrade their skills and have them properly documented.
“Mind you, this is normally a one-year programme, so doing this training in 14 weeks has really kept our students on their toes.”
Manikuali arranged for some of the students to share their experience about this training programme.
They were asked what they had learned in the training, and how their training would impact on the quality of teaching and learning in their VTCs once they return to their schools.
Albina Jumcalop is a veteran teacher, with 24 years of teaching experience. She is with Malahang Technical High School, Morobe, where she teaches tourism and hospitality, but now she also wants to go into student counselling.
She also feels much better prepared to deal with administrative matters in the school.
“I have learned how to draw up student-centred lesson plans and I am also competent now to teach financial management.
I am absolutely sure that my students, my colleagues and my school will all benefit from this.”
Mati Benny has been teaching for 10 years at Vunamami Farmers Training Centre in East New Britain.
He explains how the training has given his teaching skills a boost to his professionalism, which he was missing before.
He feels that he now masters how to plan and deliver his teaching practices, which will benefit his students and also his fellow teacher colleagues.
“From now on, I know how to prepare single lessons and lessons for a whole course.
“I can develop this on my own now. Teachers with a Diploma look down on us, because we don’t have that Diploma. All this is changed now – I am both proud and happy.”
Jacinta Kopania from of St Andrew Community College in East Sepik has taught for fouryears but already holds a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering.
She feels that the training has really taught her how to see the role of the teacher from the point of view of the students.
“Some students come from a difficult background.
This is particularly true for girls and TVET is an opportunity for them. If only they approach us, hang on and don’t drop out.
“I have learnt that as a teacher, it is my responsibility to educate and train my students to the best of my ability so that they will be competent and skilful, once they enter the labour market.
“I know how to achieve this now. This training will also help me reach out in the community to those, who need a helping hand to go into TVET, particularly the girls.
“TVET is really is an excellent opportunity for many to become a good citizens of this nation.”
John Arumba of Basenenqka VTC in Eastern Highlands really appreciates the way the training is demonstrated, how very different teaching and training methods can be.
“We have been introduced to competency-based methods in this course.
“It provided me with a strong overview of how important it is that each and every student is not forced to progress until he or she has learned the basics first.
“I will definitely apply this student-based methodin my classes of Electrical Trade.
“This has caught on to me. I want to spend more time on career guidance too, besides my normal subjects.”
Carolyn Jacob Bart from Anditale VTC in Enga has taught for eight years in areas of information technology and work place communication.
After this training, she wants to take on new subjects like gender and equality as well as HIV/Aids prevention.
She feels that the role of a model teacher now stands out clearly for her.
She expects that the diploma will have a huge positive impacton her teaching.
“I have never had any formal teacher training and this has really opened my mind and my eyes for what quality teaching is all about.
“I’m very thankful for that.”
Jacob Bira is a wood machinist and has taught for seven years at the Morata VTC in NCD.
One of the things he really appreciated in the training was the component on financial management, delivered by the PNGEI director.
“I now know more about how to run an institution like our VTC.
“If this programme runs for five or 10 years longer, this country will have all TVET teachers professionally trained and they will impart the right skills on the upcoming generations.
“Eventually, this country will change and poverty and unemployment will be kept to the minimum.”
Rodnie Watanikam of Porgera TVET, Enga, says:“I have learned a lot from this short intensive training.
“It has in fact opened the world for me. I have fully developed as a person, as a teacher, a community member and a citizen of this country and in my conduct, I want to be a role model for my students and fellow teachers.
“Thank you DoE, thank you to the EU and not least, thank you to PNGEI for this wonderful journey!”
No doubt, this diploma course has done marvels for the trainees.
Most will go back to their present teacher posts but they did mention that a diploma may also open doors to further studies, like a BEd.
While expressing great satisfaction with their own growth, they also see growth potential in the PNGEI.
One of the participants said: “This training is new to all of us, not only us teachers, who sit here to learn.
“I think PNGEI has also learned a lot in this TVET short diploma course”.

  • This article and picture were supplied by a project team of the HRDP2.