By Henzy Yakham
AS a member of the global community, Papua New Guinea is a signatory to some important international treaties and conventions. One such commitment is PNG’s obligations to the Global Education for All (GEA).In September 2000, PNG was among 191 countries which signed the GEA accord in Dakar with a goal to ensure they honour the commitments in their respective countries. Signatory nations have since moved to promote education for all in all aspect of learning, particularly to ensure that school-aged children receive at least nine years of formal education. This, among others, is to give basic education to all children and promote literacy standards, irrespective of gender, physical disabilities and socio-economic factors. The GEA commitment was in view of the prevailing world’s education crisis including:
This means PNG is obliged among others to:
It is incumbent on the relevant line agencies, including the Education Department and the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) to ensure these policies are implemented in a most effective, effecient and timely manner. Teachers are important forerunners in the actual classroom teaching and daily learning of children and or students. This is why teacher related concerns and issues need to be addressed if the Government’s education policies and goals are to be achieved. In recent months, the teachers, through their union the PNG Teachers Association (PNGTA), have been pressuring the Government to sort out all outstanding salaries and other entitlements as per the Salaries Fixation Agreement of January 2014. The good news for more than 50,000 teachers nationwide is that there is good progress made in attending to and sorting out the issues. After an intervention by Prime Ministerial Peter O’Neill, Education Minister Nick Kuman convened a meeting on August 5, 2014, between Education Secretary, Teaching Services Commission and PNGTA. The PNGTA has not only been pressing for better salaries and conditions for its members, but also as a responsible public sector union, it wants its members to maintain highest standard of conduct both inside and outside of the classroom. The PNGTA code of ethics adopted in the union’s April 2004 Triennial Congress clearly spells out the roles, responsibilities, expectations and involvement of teachers with students, colleagues, parents, communities and the government of PNG as a whole. As the biggest public sector union, PNGTA’s paramount responsibility is to its members’ welfare and well being. As well, the teachers’ union is also mindful of its moral and professional obligations to the rights of the nation’s children to quality education. It is with this underlying objective that the PNGTA says the government need to be serious in producing quality teacher training for quality education in PNG. Union general secretary Ugwalubu Mowana acknowledges PNG’s commitment to the Dakar declaration on GEA. Mr Mowana notes that likewise the PNGTA has signed commitments with Education International and its affiliates for quality education for PNG. He said in line with these commitments and to promote quality education in PNG, the government should among others:
Guest speakers and officials invited to participate have been asked to base their presentations around the theme. Those invited are expected to present papers that should help the government policy planners and law makers how best quality education can be achieved. Comments are closed.
|
Papua New Guinea Breaking NewsPapua New Guinea daily News updates Let Your Voice be heard: Submit your news articles, commentaries, letters , Photos, Media Releases etc to us on this email: pngfacts@gmail.com
Mining & PetroleumTop Links |