Caption: Governor
Ipatas standing amongst his provincial students.
By MATTHEW VARI
SUCCESSFUL students from Enga Province, selected under the
National TVET scholarship scheme in Australia, were recipients of K11,310 from
the Enga Childrens Fund, to pay for their required medical checkups.
A total of 13 students were selected from a total of 200
nationwide, selected by the Office of Higher Education to study in Australia, to
undergo skills training, in a bid to fill the huge void of skilled
professionals in the country.
Making the presentation to the 13 students, Enga Governor
Peter Ipatas thanked the national government for its foresight in maintaining
the initiative.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the national
government for actually making education a priority in the country,” Ipatas
said.
“Over the years we have seen a lot of emphasis on the formal
sector, many of our young Papua New Guineans have become professions- but one
of the areas that we have been lacking is skills training to our young
population.”
He thanked the Australian Government for their kind effort to
assist the nation, as a solution to address the increased number school leavers
that have been left out of the system.
“When you look at 60,000 plus students coming off grade 12
every year off the formal sector,” Governor Ipatas said.
“I think it is important that we as a national continue to
put money in this skills training, and as part of our support in the overall
program this is the third time we are assisting our own students by paying for
the medical examination costs.”
“Students are asked to pay their own medical examination fee
that are almost a K1,000 each to get the medical clearance required to study
down south.”
Ipatas congratulate the students from Enga and those all
throughout the country that have been selected to undergo the training in the
various TAFE colleges in Australia.
“You all must realize that you are going down to learn, and
must be good ambassadors of the countries, and concentrate on your studies.”
“The national government is spending money- Australian
Government spending, and of course the provincial government is spending, and
we expect 100 percent commitment from you the students.”
All those selected will undergo six month training courses
with each student funded under the program at K130,000 per head.
Enga has the second highest selection number; with Jiwaka the
highest with 16- all will undergo studies.
Studies to be undertaken by the students will be in civil
construction, automotive mechanical, mechanical engineering, electrical
technology, fabricating engineering, air-conditioning split system, and
sustainable energy.
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