From November 27 to November 29, 2024, a total of 68 men and women, celebrated the successful completion of the Advanced Category of their Adult Literacy Program, within the villages of Subu 1, Subu 2, Poroi 2 and Kaevaria, in Baimuru LLG, Kikori District.
Present to facilitate the momentous graduation ceremonies, were the implementers of the program, the National Volunteer Services (NVS), along with partner TotalEnergies EP PNG Limited (TotalEnergies), Upstream Operator of the Papua LNG project.
Gulf Province faces significant educational challenges and with the lack of teachers in rural remote schools a growing concern, it is the Project’s aim through the partnership with NVS, to see quality education becomes accessible by providing support to volunteer teachers in the form of wages, logistics and encouraging a change in perspective.
Ariki Eria from Kaevaria Village
TotalEnergies Community Development Field Supervisor Michael Leahy, whilst speaking at the graduation ceremonies, stressed the importance of community ownership and participation in programs such as these, which add value and empower young men and women with life skills.
“These sort of partnership programs, are left in your hands to be looked after. So if you look after and take ownership of them, they will benefit you in the long run for generations to come,” he stressed.
After reading, writing and basic numeracy skills were identified as a key priority, during ongoing consultations with the communities, TotalEnergies signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Gulf Provincial Education Division and NVS, to introduce the Adult Literacy program throughout seven villages within the Project Area of Influence.
Grade six school leaver, 72-year-old Ariki Eria from Kaevaria village, expressed his joy at being able to read and write in Tok Pisin through the program, proving that one is never too old to learn.
“I was born in 1952. I left school after grade six and wasn’t encouraged to continue my schooling. Now, after all this time, I am happy that I am able to speak, read and write in Tok pisin,” he said.
The first program of its kind in the province, the Adult Literacy Program saw to a community volunteer tutor volunteer to support the Wabo Primary School in Wabo and Evara Elementary school.
As of December 2023, a total of 72 adult learners graduated from the Advanced category of the Adult Literacy training facilitated by NVS in the villages of Wabo and Evara. With the addition of the 68 graduands, this brings the current total of certified Adult Learners from Gulf province to 140.
The National Volunteer Service is an organisation that provides opportunities for individuals and groups to extend voluntary services across all sectors, in the implementation of social welfare and development programs across all sectors.
To date, the NVS Lead Adult literacy trainer Mr Yasu Opune, has trained 19 community volunteer tutors from the seven villages, 10 of which, have now been identified within their own respective villages, to be the community adult literacy trainer.
The Graduating Batch from Kaevaria Village
The Graduating Batch from Poroi 2 Village in front of their classroom