UBE credit must go to Laimo

Thank you for giving the launch of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) plan 2010-19 on the front page of The National (Oct 26).
It deserves the attention for everyone to be aware of this important plan and to work together in progressing towards the goals set out in the plan.
I just want to correct a point in what is otherwise an excellent coverage of the key points.
The plan was initiated by the former Education Minister Michael Laimo, who set up a task force chaired by Dr Joseph Pagelio, to develop such a plan in 2006 following our participation at the 2005 Unesco general conference in Paris where the “Education for all” progress reports indicated the poor status of basic education in Papua New Guinea.
However, the task force never got off the ground until our development partners got around to supporting the work of the task force.
I chaired a “working committee”, a team of experts and representatives of relevant partner agencies in putting together the plan for the task force.
As such, the credit for initiating this plan must go to the former minister Mr Laimo, a senior minister of the current Government until the court ruled that his election was null and void and not Dr Pagelio and I as reported.

Thomas Webster
National Research Institute director