Kevin Nyango
TechInPacific – PNG Sustainable Development Program Limited (SDP) in partnership with Digicel Limited, Save the Children and Inclusiv Ventures have introduced a tangible e-learning project in Western Province. The program is mainly targeted to help students improving their numeracy and literacy through the latest 4G telecommunications and internet technology. It is expected that the nation’s education system will benefit from the project both in current state and also in the long run.
“By using modern technology to support teachers and students in primary schools in Western Province, it is our hope this initiative will help transform education in PNG,” said Esther Sibona, SDP’s Director of Communications in an interview.
The project will be implemented to 9,000 students in 38 local schools spread across the Province. The committee will provide a total of 15,000 tablets with access to app-based educational software specifically designed in line with the PNG curriculum. Students can take part in supplementary classroom activities using the software, which will enrich regular lessons.
Parents will also take part in this new system as they can access the same software at home. This will allow them to monitor their children upon utilizing the technology and become more involved with the students’ educational progress.
The trial of the project will be carried out simultaneously in 38 schools and communities. More than 200 teachers will be trained exclusively on applying the software-related activities inside classrooms. They will be equipped with in-depth knowledge regarding tasks to be assigned and student-monitoring methods.
“Education is one of our key development pillars. We want to ensure that the people of Western province in this generation and future generations are properly educated,” said Western Provincial Administrator, Robert Kaiyun. Mr. Kaiyun also stated that the new E-learning technology will allow students in remote Western Province to keep up with the modern world alongside its broad variety of knowledge. The educational cost will also see some beneficial cut-downs as multiple facilities are comprised in a simple tech. Additionally, the technology is also able to track students’ use of the software. Student literacy and numeracy improvement can be monitored using accurate reading and math assessments.
The trial will be conducted continuously until the end of this year and is expected to present positive information regarding the beneficial impact. If everything goes well, bigger investment will be splashed in e-learning so that it can be successfully adopted throughout the province on an ongoing basis.
