Educating and moulding leaders of tomorrow

Oseah Philemon
Tertiary education in Papua New Guinea is no longer a right for a privilege few.

It is increasingly becoming important for national development, especially in terms of training and educating young Papua New Guineans for their role in national development in the years to come.

Therefore, there is the need to widen the education net to encompass young people from all family backgroundsŃrich and poor alike.

It is for this reason that Christian churches have decided that responsibility for university education cannot remain solely with the government,

Up until the 1970s, the churches have concentrated on primary and secondary education leaving tertiary education mostly to government.

Nowadays, the Christian churches have decided they will not stand by the wayside and let the government shoulder the responsibility on its own.

The churches want to play a bigger role in not only educating but also moulding leaders of tomorrow for Papua New Guinea.

They want a new generation of educated elite that will be God-fearing and uphold Christian principles of family life, respect for human rights and the future of the nation.

The government runs four universities in PNG:

• University of Papua New Guinea; the University of Technology in Lae;
• Goroka University in Goroka, which trains secondary school teachers; and
• Vudal University in Rabaul, which trains people for the agricultural sector.

Over the years since independence, churches have moved into the tertiary education sector in an increasingly competitive way.

It is not a new role, however, the churches have been involved in primary and secondary education for many years, long before independence.

The mainline churchesŃCatholic, Anglican, Lutheran, the Seventh Day Adventist and the United ChurchŃhave played a major part in educating the children of Papua New Guinea prior to and since the years immediately after World War Two.

They still do so today and with renewed vigour.

In addition, the new Pentecostal churches and other minor Christian churches have also established their own schools right across Papua New Guinea.

The Catholic Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG, the United Church and the Seventh Day Adventist Church have also established teachers’ colleges to train teachers mostly for primary schools.

These colleges have produced thousands of primary school teachers over the past years.

With high schools, they rely mostly on the government-run universities to produce graduates needed for the church-run secondary schools.

Many of the elite in high positions of government and industry today went through church-run schools.

Now, the churches have moved up the ladder to university education.

The Catholic church through the Society of the Divine Word missionaries established the Divine Word University in Madang which takes students from all denominations around PNG.

Divine Word University (DWU) also accepts students from the Pacific region and East Timor.

It is a university that is gaining increasing respect for the quality of its graduates and as an institution that provides both high academic teaching as well as Christian education for the youth of Papua New Guinea.
Fr Jan Czuba, President of the Divine Word University in Madang Town, says Christian education has always served both a spiritual and socio-economic purpose.

It is a vehicle through which Christian churches have transmitted their beliefs, values and practices to generations of their youth living in Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific region as a whole.

“The extensive Christian education systems in Papua New Guinea are unique and represent the traditional Christian belief that the Christian churches and parents of children share the primary right to educate the young.

In many provinces of Papua New Guinea, Christian churches identify three elements of Christian education:

• To teach Christian beliefs, the message of service, hope and love in the Gospel;
• To build community, not just as a concept to be taught but as a reality to be lived; and
• To serve all mankind, which emanates from a sense of Christian community.

“The church school system evolved in PNG is serving a unique social and economic role.

“The impact of Christian education is showing a dramatic increase in social activism among those young people who attended mission schools.

“This means that Christian education creates open-minded citizens who develop a social conscience towards problems within society while maintaining their Christian faith.

“This makes it clear that these schools are not there just for academic gains but for a broader purpose, They provide a social context and a holistic education,” Fr Czuba said.

“Christian education with its emphasis on values, spirituality and social responsibility offers an alternative learning environment, which creates a balance between technological advancement and the human and spiritual needs of all individuals,” Fr Czuba said.

What churches are involved Lutheran Church The two Lutheran Churches in Papua New Guinea, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea and the Gutnius Lutheran Church are in the planning stages of establishing a Lutheran university in PNG. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG is headed by Bishop Dr Wesley Kigasung based in Lae, the second largest city of PNG, while the Gutnius Lutheran Church is based in Wabag, Enga Province, and is headed by outspoken Bishop David Piso. Both churches have established a committee of prominent elite church members to lay the ground work for the new university which is likely to take in the existing Lutheran-run Balob Teachers College and the Martin Luther Seminary—both located in Lae. Work is still progressing pending endorsement by the next Church Synod in 2010 after which an Act of Parliament will be required to formally establish the new Lutheran university. Seventh Day Adventist Church The Seventh Day Adventist Church, on the other hand, has established a university outside of Port Moresby that is taking students from Papua New Guinea and the Pacific islands. The Pacific Adventist University (PAU) is a new university that is increasingly becoming popular especially among parents who want their children to receive a church-oriented tertiary education. While its academic programmes follow the teachings of the SDA Church, the university accepts students from all church denominations. Students enrolled at the Pacific Adventist University come from PNG, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, French Polynesia, Australia, Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia and China. There are about 500 students at this university and the numbers are increasing. Many of the students who graduate from PAU go on to work for the church while others enter the general workforce in their respective countries. PAU emphasises strong Christian teaching in its academic programmes. United Church The United Church of Papua New Guinea is planning to establish a  college of higher education using its existing institutions. The moderator of the church, Reverend Samson Lowa, said the United Church does not want to “compete” with the other churches in establishing universities. Reverend Lowa said the church will continue to work with the other churches and the government of the day in delivering education services to its members and the people of PNG without having to compete. The United Church of PNG is this year celebrating its 40th anniversary in PNG. Reverend Lowa said: “Over the last 40 years, we realised the importance of investing in our children for the future. Ten years ago, we decided to come up with the theme of “Investing in Children and Youth” and the idea is to acknowledge the fact that we have come this far because the church and the government were able to set up schools in the rural areas so we can have an opportunity to come this far. “In so doing, we wanted to also do the same thing for our children now. “It is not for the young children to be given a special privilege to go to school but we have a mandate to provide the best for our children. In doing that, we want to intentionally invest in children, especially the way we have gone over the last 33 years since independence. “We have adopted the attitude of: “Let’s think big but start small.” Reverend Lowa said the United Church will use its own institutions—the Gaulim Teachers College and the Rarongo Theological College—both in East New Britain and the former nursing school at Salamo in Milne Bay to become part of the higher education college.  “We want to start small and then work our way up so that we can see something we created with our own sweat.”