PNG students value study opportunities
Wallace Kintaki has a message for Australians. “Thank you to Australian taxpayers for giving us this opportunity,” he says simply and sincerely.
One of 20 public servants in health and education from Papua New Guinea doing a crash course in leadership and management at Federation University’s Warragul campus, he wants local people to know how much the students value the opportunity.
“It goes a long way – they are giving us the skills to build our country,” says Mr Kintaki, who works at the Nazarene Nursing College.
The students have been funded by an Australian Government fellowship that offers international scholarships to the next generation of global leaders for study, research and professional development.
Federation Training’s manager of international projects, Ewa Filipiak said the PNG candidates were selected based on their capacity to advance development issues.
Florence Boiga, a teacher at St Barnabas School of Nursing, says the course is giving her the opportunity to discover “the right way of doing things”.
PNG has multiple constraints, she says: lack of resources, money and management and leadership skills make it difficult to build the public sector.
Fellow student Totobe Samilo, who teaches at Engo Teachers College, says the course has made him think about the rule of law and how it relates to everything they do as public servants, and transparency of decision making.
“We are coming here for individual gains but it’s also for the good of the nation,” he said.
It’s been a heavy schedule for the students, who are cramming a term’s course into seven weeks.
“At times we’re exhausted,” agrees Ms Boiga.
But they’ve also enjoyed the chance to look around. A visit to the city was a buzz – “busy, busy, busy”, says Mr Kintaki – but it’s the countryside he really likes.
“The calm here is very nice. When we cross the road they wave us across.”
“People here are very welcoming,” Mr Samilo agrees. “Many come up and say ‘We heard you were in town’.”
Ms Boiga says she’s enjoyed seeing the different foods in the supermarkets, especially the fruit and vegetables. “The quality and the variety to choose from.”
They have been staying in the new Mercure hotel, only a short walk to their classroom, the old ballroom at the Warragul Railway station.
A visit to a local nursing home, Bunyip’s Hillview, was an eyeopener. As far as they know, there are no nursing homes in PNG, with care of elders a family responsibility.
“In your country all of you are working,” Wallace explains. “You don’t have time to look after your parents and grandparents.”
With another three weeks to run on their course, they are looking forward to visiting Phillip Island next weekend.
The students will be mentored on their return to PNG while undertaking practical workplace assessments.
All going well, they will graduate with a diploma in leadership and management in Port Moresby in April, 2016.
Ms Filipiak said Federation Training was keen to participate in more international programs.