PNG SMART Skills | Essential for young people finding their space in the world

So we are embarking on a new program – PNG SMART Skills! Why SMART? From the SMART Acronym.
Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time-bound! (SMART)

There’s heaps of information about SMART. So now we go one step further, how do we use SMART in every aspect of everything we do, and most importantly in our learning.

So why PNG SMART Skills?

This is me, trying to help solve some of the world’s problems. No I’m not a super-hero, but we should all consider ourselves to be like super-heros What is the problem? The problem is school is not what it was anymore? It is not keeping up with the changing world. It is adapting at a very slow pace. Especially in our country.

For me – it is the reading of news about high percentage of young people not having the opportunity to do this and that…. not even space at tertiary institutions, limited jobs for our people.

We need to be one step ahead. We need to look outside of the ‘norm’ and see the opportunities that may not be visibly clear.

So here’s one way, possibly to help in resolving some of the issues.

“In a world filled with noise, the power of effective communication is your superpower. Use it wisely to express your ideas, share your passion, and shape your future.”

Anonymous

The inspiration from this comes from my time studying in New Zealand at the Auckland University of Technology. There is a special program or section of the uni called the Employability Lab. During your time at uni, you choose one of the awards you want to do and work towards the Award. The award has requirements you have to complete and they are essentially much of the skills that are now included in the PNGSMARTSkills.

I enjoyed doing the AUT E-lab activities. I didn’t complete the full requirements in time to achieve the award, but lightbulbs went off! Why not create something similar back home =) So here it is!

We put out this notice on the 16th October, 2023 on LinkedIn at 12:30pm and by 12:30am 17th October, I had received 50 respondents who filled out the online interest survey form.

How exciting!!

So wanted to have this up here on the site too, to be reminded of this journey later and well to get this site going again!

So if you have any 13 going 30 year olds interested in participating in the inaugural PNGSMARTSkills program then do fill in the form

We most likely will do an in-person workshop as majority of the respondents are from one area, but since there are other interested from other areas – we may have a hybrid of online and in-person event!

But am excited about this! Looking forward to collaboration, oh yes! even had some interested facilitators! Obviously I can not do all these sessions on my own! and I’m excited about that too!

Well stay tuned for more updates!

Developing resilient Education Systems – COVID-19 – Bertha Ngahan

This post by Bertha Ngahan shared on her facebook account, her thoughts about the challenges Papua New Guinea faces with the COVID-19 Pandemic and more so the Education System including valid comments of those following the post – Worthy discussion.

---

We have had our own existing cross cutting issues and what did we usually do?

Complain.

All that is now coupled with COVID-19 and what are we still doing? Complaining and throw in a heapful of panic while we’re at it.

Someone said innovation, creativity and change comes from struggle or vulnerability or both, something like that, but this, the time we are in now, is the perfect time for innovation.

All our systems have been disrupted in one of the worst ways we could possibly imagine and while we “wait” upon the government to “deal” with it, what are each of us in our own sectors, organisations, departments, communities, neighbourhood, families going about finding a way to adapt to these changes?

Things are not going to go back to normal when we supposedly resume after this lock down.
There will be a whole backlog.
This is not affecting just a group of people or just a province but the nation as a whole.

If ever there was a time we needed to come together as one, it is now!
(We are motivated by different triggers; I would love for any song artist right now to release a song about unity or humanity )

My most worrying area of concern is in our education system.

Prior to COVID-19, there were a number of controversial issues that we continued to fight and argue over and have yet to be resolved.
Now with the the lock down and the closure of schools, it is uncertain just how long the suspension will go on for.

In the event that the suspension were to be extended from weeks to months, are we prepared as a nation for it?

With the exception of some private schools who have given parents the options available of learning online (for up to 6 months), what of the public system?

How do you know if effective learning is taking place?

What of kids like my daughter who is in Yr 12?

Not just them but also the higher education institutions; they should already have invested in having a Learning Management System (LMS)

So much potential for innovation in education to take place.

Are we just going to drop things and then pick up where we left off or are we going to innovate and find ways for learning to continue?

My kids received learning packs and I know it will be challenging for any bourgeois “essential” coming home after work and going through school work with your kids;

Mine are in Yr 12, Yr 9, Yr 8 and Preschool and they’ve all been given work.

How is this going to get any easier? So many factors to consider.

For those who are staying at home during this lock down and working with your kids, kudos to you for your patience and I’m sure you will come to appreciate what teachers do for your children daily.

For now these two weeks is “Term 1 break”.

How is Term 2 looking? Schools, teachers, stakeholders, parents, guardians, students, are we ready for Term 2?

Or are we just going to sit at home and wait for COVID-19 to pass over?

I got my kids to ask themselves what they can do, how they can be more productive with their time, with their learning, with helping to solve society’s issues…after all, that is the purpose of education right?

What will learning look like after the two weeks? Two months? Remainder of the year?

This isn’t something for us to think about just because of the pandemic; all those unresolved issues we have can be collectively looked at to suit our society.

I have a few days before my research proposal is due for submission.

I woke up this morning at 2am and had the sudden urge to change my original topic to accommodate the impacts of COVID-19 on Education.

I was going to discuss the challenges in STEM Education and Entrepreneurship and I think this predicament that we are in now is ideal in supporting my argument.

If and when we get back on our feet from COVID-19, I hope we are all changed for the better and we are able to do our own bit to make our society a better place to live for everyone.

But why wait until after when we are in the perfect time to do that now?

---

I have tagged a good number of people in this post. Some of you, I interact with on a daily basis, some of you I’ve hardly interacted with and some we are merely acquaintances.
Either way, I value your opinions and thought I’d bring my early morning ramblings to your attention whether you choose to offer your brilliance or not.
If you do not find this of any value to your wall, I am more than happy to untag you.

Some of the comments from those who responded to this post as below:

• You’re absolutely right sister. Covid-19 is testing how far & how lean our current resources (what we have at our immediate disposal) can stretch before they snap & we are forced to innovate for the better.
  Work: we now realize that being chained to a desk was not actually necessary to produce all the outcomes our bosses required.
  Why do we waste so much in resources to herd our cattle (employees) together in a pen (office space) on a daily basis? It has always irritated me that my husband’s work is e-based (Graphic Design) but he couldn’t work from home & get paid on those days when he couldn’t make it ~ coz of sick kids, flat tire, babysitter doesn’t come, now Covid-19… With the SOE in place he’s still being asked to go to work daily Why?? It costs money to get him from the house to the office & back again every day! No PMV’s are running so I have to drive him. He is not paid for the commute either ~ 30mins each way plus 30mins to get ready plus all the small kids that can’t use the potty by themselves have to come with us. Supporting our existing internet connection at home would get rid of that issue & he could work from home on his own laptop, only going in for the print material.
  Education: we’ve being talking about internet connectivity & web based education for donkeys years but no one took it seriously. I’ll let you ladies expand on this one.
  But yes, good food for thought on a Thursday & has me thinking too. Have a great day ahead & I appreciate this tag
• Thank you sister, I agree with your concerns. It’s also hard for single parents. I was dealing with a lot of emotional issues dealing with the loss of the marriage and just when I thought I was back on my feet, this challenge pounced on us. I’m grateful that my children have some sort of schooling online but I am at a loss as to how students in public schools would cope.
  The ripple effect of Covid19 is not only on the health system and economically, it impacts the education system, the legal system, and is far reaching. I think about women in violent relationships, how do they get urgent protection orders even though the judiciary has provided a means for lawyers to go to court for ‘urgent’ matters, it will still prove difficult.
  Online classes, online court hearings have been concepts anticipated and slowly toyed with in the public system with capacity among our own very limited not to mention budget constraints.
  In my speech at the Fiji Law Conference representing PNG on the topic of Technology and Electronic Databases in courts, I stated that PNG is the largest legal community in the Pacific behind Australia and New Zealand. As other smaller Pacific Island countries, we are yet to get there but in every village where you don’t see a hospital or a government infrastructure like roads, you see a Digicel tower or a telecommunications tower. People have limited access to government service but they have access to mobile phones and the Internet in many rural areas. Can we bring legal services through technology to reach rural people including education etc as well?
  I said in Fiji last that PNG is moving at its own rate and pace, we will get there in terms of technology but everyday the wheels of justice turn in every province. The legal profession is a face to face profession dealing with human disputes, technology can wait whilst though it is for convenience sake, the bottom line is the wheels of justice still turn and it does turn effectively. In this pandemic, I’m rethinking my speech. Perhaps we have to double our steps and grab technology in the legal space as vital and critical post Covid19 in anticipation of any other global pandemic lurking out there? We are a developing country in need of capacity in alot of areas and with little in the government’s purse, we need keepers with a collective approach to the National agenda top down. My 2 toea. Great discussion sister.

• Good morning, my sister. You have raised valid points as far as our current situation calls for in terms of Education and Innovations is concerned. While it is a great concern for every citizen of this country, we can only do so much for the world, nation and our families. Our children are no exceptions, I have all three in public schools, and like you vented, students in such institutions were given little or nothing at all in some subjects. What do I do? As an experienced teacher, I try in my capacity as a Mx / Science specialist to assist them and in fact do a little bit more than what they have been given from their schools as far as preparing them for their examinations. However, I cannot say that they’re safe. More needs to be done, how about the bulk of the students? How about the unfortunate ones? How about the illiterate parents; how are they assisting their children?
  We cannot all offer the same volume of assistance nor the same volume of being innovative and think outside the box with the same wavelength.
  Unfortunately, and especially our education system, is a great set-back for the vast populace as far as PNG is concerned. Few of you in the private sector can afford and advance forward, and make a difference but the poor bulk will always tag the big boat back and sometimes to a halt. It is indeed a great concern for our children and our Education system in the country. #My random thoughts# Good luck in your writing, tering!

• Very important and challenging topic Bertha. In my life time I have been through few crises. The civil war on Bougainville, followed by the twin volcanic eruptions in Rabaul, the last Mt Ulavun and right now Covid 19 is at our door again. They affect us in so many diverse ways. Natural disaster crisis are devastating and we come out if its ok. However this latest one is more dangerous and had no cure too. We are in lockdown for two weeks but we still don’t know how long it will take to full contain this virus.
  So many sectors of our society is already affect, especially education of our kids. Some of us have family members with health issues and are vulnerable if Covid 19 makes it here. Their health is already compromised and we can only hope and pray that things will be fine.
  On the other hand it is shaking the whole world both developed and third worlds. It doesn’t discriminate who is rich or poor. We are all in it to fight this monster not with latest man-made weapons but by doing basic simple healthy habits of being clean.
  Hope America and its enemies will realize that we don’t need to be at its others throat all the time but be at peace and just be more respectful to each other and look after our earth better than we have been doing.
  Our government can realize the importance of health and education and invest more in science education so that when diseases break out we can have specialist at hand to work on the cures. Our forest and sea are pristine and blessed with all the materials they can study. Innovation is the way forward, yes.

• Forbes est. 1.4 billion students to be affected.

  Education issues will continue to exist as our Government continue to juggle education models.

  The speed and scale of school closures is swift and huge.

  Prolonged closure will put unprecedented challenges on almost everyone. Adverse consequences such as youths being deprived of opportunities for growth and development, while on parents regular paychecks.
  Every home will become a school. But schools, teachers, parents effort will make that happen, otherwise every family for itself and this can open up other issues.

  Internet capacity and speed in our country poses a challange to internet learning.

• I was in a panel discussion last year when the Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) visited PNG, the first time an ILO DG has ever visited PNG and it was in celebration of 100 years of the ILO, I was in the discussion because he wanted to talk to youth about the future of work.
  The discussion was held at UPNG, and included teachers and students of nearby POM National High Schools, the discussion where I made a glorious memorable speech in the midst of a flash of temper, not proud of the outburst but I was congratulated more than thrown out so I guess it went well.
  One of the things the DG said which was important was how 60% of the jobs of the future do not exist today, he emphasized this point to educationists present, he told them we can’t be teaching children what to think but more how to learn. The future is here, and without the ability to adapt you perish, even in employment. Innovation, imagination and initiative have never been more important regardless of age, race, gender etc. if you can’t change or adapt, you can’t make a future for yourself, we really need to integrate this into how and what we are teaching children with our education system currently.
  
• We will be holding a HACK4CHANGE program in April by the ICT Cluster which is our bi annual Calendar program. It’s an inaugural program aimed at finding solutions to problems. It was suppose to be run in Feb but due to C19 we’ve moved it to April latest. If gatherings will be reduced we will be testing our first online hack. Education will be on the agenda focusing on social n economic impacts. We will be looking also at post-covid 19.

• When I first heard about the COVID-19 pandemic, I was worried, but then I realized that it was a blessing in disguise for me…
  With Eddie being sick for so long, I have been doing my part as a mother, as a teacher for my children during the afternoons and nights, nursing him when his symptoms starts to bother him and aĺso managing his business….
  I was beginning to get overwhelmed by it all, then this pandemic hit and the country had to go into lock down, this is my most needed time to rest and actually not move at all.
  So while practicing strict health measures at home considering Eddie’s condition, I am also making sure we all get some garden work done just to keep the kids busy. Most schools here were taken by surprise with the shutdown, our kids came home with 2 or 3 activities, which is not enough, considering my grade 12 student….
  While I am enjoying my rest, I am also worried about the outcome of this lockdown….

• So many things need to be addressed. This Virus is a blessing is disguise. It’s helping everyone globally to stop in their tracks and assess their situations; health, mental health, home, work, school, socially, spiritually, the list goes on.
  School. School. School. We as a nation are so far behind, its painful for me to return every holiday and see it continue to deteriorate. I don’t have any answers, but I know a lot of people like yourself have lots to offer. I just wish the Government of the day would start investing in the most important asset the country has – the people and their education. Start listening to people like you, bring you all together, talk to you all, understand what is lacking, what needs to be done, and how we can work together to solve it. Not everything can be solved, but lots of issues can be addressed.
• Am struggling with an assignment due amidst all the hype and mental and emotional, spiritual and physical strain around, juggling keeping sane and strong for myself, the kids, ensuring we got supplies and that they got things to do …a friend gave a timely advice.. you have to be strong and resilient.
  It was the pause that I needed. To reflect on. Being resilient. I remember one of the essay topics for this scholarship asked about resilience. Thinking of it now and your post and our research discussions on education , STEM etc. I guess the one theme we could say is testing each of us and our systems, globally is – resilience.
  Covid-19 is testing how resilient we are. As individuals, our health, family, education, internet systems etc. You could use this now as a case study, the impact of covid-19 on education system, how STEM could improve its resilience? But thanks got me thinking..i need to go go blog this after I get this assignment sorted.