KTF's ‘teach for tomorrow’ project expands to New Ireland
06 September 2017
KOKODA TRACK FOUNDATION
PORT MORESBY - On Monday, the Kokoda Track Foundation (KTF), a non-government organisation that has been working in Papua New Guinea for over a decade, expanded its Teach for Tomorrow program to 400 trainee teachers from New Ireland Province.
Generously funded by Newcrest Mining, the James Family Foundation and the New Ireland Provincial Department of Education, the training program enables partially-trained elementary teachers to complete their certificates of elementary teaching and become certified as fully-fledged elementary teachers.
Over the next six weeks, the trainee teachers will participate in lectures, practice teaching, workshops and assessments that will give them the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to deliver education of the highest quality to elementary-aged children in remote schools across the province.
Once certified, the graduate teachers will have the opportunity to access government payroll positions for the first time after volunteering in schools for many years.
“The 400 trainee teachers have waited a long time for this training and have worked tirelessly as volunteers in their village schools,” said KTF CEO, Dr Genevieve Nelson
New Ireland is the seventh province to which KTF has taken the training program.
Over the past 12 months, KTF and its partners have trained 330 teachers in Oro, 37 in Gulf, 120 in Milne Bay, 540 in Morobe and 168 across the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. KTF is also currently training 64 teachers in Manus.
“We are excited to extend our development support to KTF’s next program across New Ireland, together with our other provincial education partners,” said Newcrest’s PNG country manager Peter Aitsi.
“This program will strengthen these teachers’ skills for the benefit of more than 10,000 PNG children.
“We’re pleased that 38 teachers from Lihir are taking part in the training and at graduation will be recognised as certified elementary teachers by the PNG Department of Education.”
The graduation ceremony for the New Ireland teachers will be held at the training venue on 6 October.
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