Non-Formal Education in Papua New Guinea - Report Example

Running Head: NON-FORMAL EDUCATION IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA Non-formal education in Papua New Guinea Name Institution Date Non-formal education in Papua New Guinea Introduction Schooling is not always about reading, writing and arithmetic. This statement holds a lot of truth as far as educational matters is concerned in Papua New Guinea. The directive principles and national goals of Papua New Guinea emphasize the importance of national unity, integral human development, democracy, participation and equality. To ensure that what is promised in the constitution of Papua New Guinea, there must be in place the chance for every one who is illiterate to become literate. The Papua New Guinea National Literacy Policy provides such a chance for people who have been left out by the formal education system. Literacy as stated earlier is not merely writing and reading. It encompasses thinking, learning, expanding vision, and critiquing; it entails enhancing a quest for life-long desire to learn in every Papua New Guinea national and to equip everyone with the competence and skill to live his or her dream. According to Sukwianomb & Sheldon (1994), non-formal education has played a critical role in improving the lives of certain individual not only in Papua New Guinea but also across many third world countries. Particularly for adolescents activities engraved in the non-formal educational programs immensely stretch their opportunities for learning. Workshops, vocational training and other non-formal courses have their demand escalated in people who do not have any other means for employment. This play an important role particular in situations of conflict when many of the adolescents miss years of formal education program and may lack the time to fill up what they lost in primary classes where they share classes with younger children. If other options presented by the non-formal education program do not exist these poor adolescent may drop out of school to engage in other juvenile delinquencies. Legal age restriction and space constraints may work against any effort to join the formal education system. Lynch (2002) notes that Non-formal education consequently provides an alternative and can be used as a protection strategy since disillusioned adolescents can easily be misled even to join militia groups. During emergencies activities concerning non-formal education can be used to engage the children as formal programs are being worked on. Some non-formal activities are income generating since whatever is produced can be sold. This could include wood carvings, modeling and carpentry work. Non-formal education is also an important supplement for the students who are enrolled in formal schools. Core subjects are often covered in formal school curriculum and topics necessary for survival. Short length schooling days make it impossible to add more subjects and therefore non-formal extra-curriculum activities come in handy. Non-formal education explores extra topics or subjects that may have been overlooked by the formal sector because of time and resource constraint. This subject may include reproductive health, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, peace education, environmental education, disease prevention (e.g. cholera), human rights, psychological awareness and hygiene. These topics are essential to help the children understand and accept their social environment and be able to discuss the issues emerging from them among themselves (Brouwer & Bruce 1998). In many cases the topics are included in the formal education programs. The rehabilitation of fields and reconstruction of homes may translate to the fact that little time is devoted for both formal and non-formal education. In Papua New Guinea non-formal training activities are used to induce entrepreneurial skills in the students so that they become responsible and innovative citizen who will contribute positively to national building. In Papua New Guinea non-formal education has been used as a means of empowering and making the majority of the people proud even after being left out on formal education. Non-formal education provides sincere participation as it engraves dissemination of authentic information and applicable skills to the audience of a variety of ages and gender. Non-formal education in Papua New Guinea has enabled people to engage in positive processes of growth and self determination. Although the government has concentrated to wide extend on vocational training, it has enable many people who felt left out by the formal sector to catch up. Many researches done on non-formal education in Papua New Guinea has indicated the need to revert back to village values and village settings as far as training is concerned. This is geared towards making the programs to be in touch with the people so that are accepted and appreciated. This also has been viewed as a means through which many people could be reached and the consequent development of the villages will be eminent and a sure thing. The government goal of ensuring that the citizens possess a sense of identity, participation and pride can be achieved if the programs are revised and enough trainers posted to the vocational training centers. Non-formal education will enlighten people and ensure their maximizing of their contribution to national, provincial and community development (Sukwianomb & Sheldon 1994). Non-formal education Papua New Guinea will suppress disillusionment, alienation, powerlessness and frustrations which many citizens regardless of age experience presently. If effected well, non-formal education in Papua New Guinea will bring about motivation of a variety of people to acquire creativity, confidence and knowledge. Disenchanted youths who had been left out of the formal education program have found a refuge in non-formal education (Pandey, 2005). Non-formal education should be implemented if the realities of life of people have been adequately understood to organize programs incorporating them rather than just bringing to them what has already been designed without their participation. With this kind of approach it will make the programs more acceptable and meeting the learning needs of the people. Girls are taught home economics while boys are taught trade training skills. This approach however has been challenged as being inefficient and limited in scope. Many attempts have been made to improve the situation with the training of staff through the Pilot Project of the World Bank Village Development centers, initiative of village development centers, and Lumi and Malalaus Resource center. Pandey (2005) argues that for any vocational center to be registered as a vocational centers in Papua New Guinea it must fulfill certain staffing arrangement and program. Vocational centre staff must be formally trained, hold a certificate from a teachers’ college and must adhere to the regulation and rules governing programs and posting. On the other hand these regulations and requirements has been a hindrance preventing vocational centers from evolving into popular village base (Pandey, 2005). Church initiated vocational centers who have attempted to be registered in order to receive government funding have had their effort foiled in having their long-term, local and trained staff registered and paid. If at all they are paid, they are subjected to discrimination in directives and posting. By default they fall into the category of the fraternity which is promoting a bureaucratic mentality. Edmund (1976) notes that the village based values that are brought to the table are inadvertently lost during the process of institutionalization and formalization. In the recent times the New Zealand government has availed funding via the non-formal sector of National Department of education. This has subsequently opened a chance to support a wider variety of activities out of the scope of vocational centers only (Lynch, 2002). The priority of the funding has been given to community-based self-help approaches, first chance learners, and non-formal education. Literacy training has been incorporated as a priority in the present times as opposed to when it was overlooked. The funding enabled the project to be carried out in virtual all the provinces in Papua New Guinea. A steering committee that was put in place was given the mandate to select projects that needed financial support and would eventually be useful to the society as a whole. This was termed as a hand out approach and it was adequately evaluated by the Education Research Unit in 1985. Absence of competence and confidence in the officers in provincial non-formal education centers make it a hindrance for them to be trusted and function properly as trainers and advisors. Each one of the officers is expected to avail yearly in-service training. Nevertheless, some of them do not, while some plan well but cancel at the dying minutes. Others who arrange meetings later on admit openly to practitioners that they lack some thing to teach or tell them. Successful radio programs have been designed in local dialects to make sure even the remotest of the places are reached (Edmund, 1976). Conclusion Many evaluators and advisors have acknowledged the gaps between realities and plans n the successful implementation of non-formal education in Papua New Guinea. More follow up of these reports is needed urgently. Reconstruction of the non-formal education program, material production, net-working for practitioners, and man-power training for non-formal officers are the advised means through which the non-formal education system in Papua New Guinea will rise to the standards that are helpful to the people and contributing positively and immensely to national building. Non-formal education will promote peace and break agency barriers. The funding available should be channeled to addressing the fundamental problems facing non-formal education system n Papa New Guinea. References Sukwianomb, J., Sheldon G. (1994) Pacific perspectives on non-formal education. New York: Prentice Hall Publishers. Edmund B. T. (1976). Papua New Guinea education. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Lynch, J. (2002). Pacific languages in education. London: SAGE publishers. Pandey V.C. (2005). Literacy and Non-formal Education: Volume 2 of Education Planning and Human Development, Sheffield: Gyan Books. Brouwer, E. C & Bruce M. H., (1998). Gender analysis in Papua New Guinea: World Bank e-Library. Bank Publications. Read More