Read project review underway

The Education Department has begun evaluation of schools in Morobe Province on progress of the Read PNG project. Morobe provincial education standard officer Naikuli Keith Tangui said the current exercise by an inspection team is important as students have already started reading books that were introduced to the schools. "We want to find out if the reading books have in any way impacted the literacy skills of students.

"It is also an opportunity for us to identify areas or challenges teachers face in facilitating reading programs in the classrooms," Mr Tangui said. He said the team had conducted evaluation in five schools in the province and they will continue to monitor and evaluate other schools within Lae District in the coming weeks. Mr Tangui said three containers holding more than 3500 boxes of books and additional resource materials have been made available and will be distributed to the 378 primary schools in Morobe Province.

"The project is a way of assisting the introduced standard-based curriculum. We’ve prioritised to thoroughly check the impact the project has had on both students and teachers," Mr Tangui added. St Paul’s Primary School grade eight student Lorraine Timothy said she was pleased with the set of books with which she has experienced slight improvements in her speaking skills. "I have read two books so far but we are expected to complete 60 books before the end of the year so my aim is to read as much as I can and practise English," the student said.