Pariwa explains commitment to education in the province

The standard of education in Madang Province has drastically dropped in recent years, compared to what it was in the 1990s and early 2000.

However, Governor of Madang province, Ramsey Pariwa is confident that the province can rise again to the top, given the proper support that the sector needs.

Mr Pariwa continues to emphasise that education will remain the Madang Government's priority so long as he remains the political head of the province because he believes that an educated population is essential to the development of the province.

His commitment is evident through the financial support he is presenting to schools across the province.

Last Sunday, Governor Pariwa was at Siar Primary School, on the outskirts of town, where he presented a dummy cheque of K50, 000 to help the school with vital infrastructures.

The assistance was from his discretionary funds.

He said his government's commitment to education is consistent with the country's first National Directive Goal and Principle, which emphasizes on Integral Human Development.

"Education is a priority in our country's constitution. It was the vision of our founding fathers since Independence. Our founding fathers believed education would unite us because of our diverse cultures.

"They believed that only education could unite the different ethnic groups. The other reason our founding fathers had was the difficult geography terrain of this country. They believed that only education would help bring development to the hard- to- reach areas. That is why I will continue to prioritize education in the province.

"Only through education, we will have more doctors and nurses to work in our hospitals, more teachers to teach in our children, and more engineers to build our roads," Pariwa explained.

He believes every government must give meaning to this vision by the founding fathers.

"We must make this dream become a reality," Pariwa said.

Pariwa also announced plans by the Madang Provincial Government to build a new high school at Siar to help ease overcrowding and push- outs at the nearby Good Shepherd Lutheran Secondary School.

He added that whilst there are other important development priorities like health, law and order, and road infrastructures, education takes precedence as per the Constitution.

He said open MPs are responsible for high schools, whilst his line of responsibility covers secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

Elementary schools, Early Childhood Education, and Kindergarten schools remain the responsibilities of LLG presidents and ward councillors.

The governor also presented a K10, 000 cheque to the Siar Women's Group to assist them with their community projects.