Visit start of long institutional engagement, envoy says

THE Papua New Guinea Australia (PNGAus) Secondary School Partnership is the start of a long engagement, Australian High Commissioner to PNG Bruce Davis says.
“It’s not just a programme where there are opportunities for a few weeks on occasion and some communication, but much more a beginning of a very long institutional engagement,” Davis said.
Speaking during a reception for the PNGAus participating secondary schools at his residence in Port Moresby on Wednesday, Davis said it was vital for both countries to strengthen their relationship through these types of partnerships.
“One thing that is important for both countries is how we can build people-to-people links and institution-to-institution links,” he said.
“We’ve done a lot of that in the past years and we just need to keep deepening and broadening those links.”
Davis said education was an important area that needed partnership between the two countries.
“There could be no more area for the future of PNG than to see a strong focus on the next generation.
“The next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs who are going to make a big difference in this country.”
Twelve PNG schools and 12 Australian schools are pioneering the partnership programme to work together to strengthen their priority areas.