Leonard Fong Roka
Divine Word University students were fortunate to get updates
from Bougainville Administration officers undertaking short courses under the
university’s Faculty of Flexible Learning (FFL) on campus. In an informal
gathering on the Sunday, 13 April, Bougainville administration officers told
excited students that Bougainville was moving forward and not backwards.
The officers namely David Kelele from the Education
Division’s Teacher In-service wing, Tommy Samson from the Human Resources and
Corporate Services, Graham Kakarauts from the Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) a
body jointly made up of the PNG and Bougainville that looks at the
implementation of the autonomy and so on and Mrs. Manah Kakarauts from the
Community Development section.
David Kelele briefed students on the completed Bougainville
Education Act. He said under the act Bougainville will be now independent from
PNG on its pursued of educational development and progress.
Bougainville has now 12 secondary schools and some of these
are still developing. With all the changes a few have turned into technical
secondary schools that specialized in practical and theoretical teaching like
Bishop Wade Secondary. Formerly there were a number of vocational schools but
now due to amalgamation with secondary schools Bougainville is only left with
three vocational schools one of which is Metonai in Kieta.
Bougainville is also actively rolling out adult literacy
schools across Bougainville which is producing positive outcomes on the lost
generation.
Soon Bougainville will be setting its own teachers college
in Buin and nursing college in an undisclosed location to end the flow of
Bougainvilleans out of the island. Whilst investing on these developments
Bougainville has plans to develop its own university soon.
Tommy Samson, Mrs. Manah Kakarauts and Mr. Graham Kakarauts
supported Mr. Kelele by adding that all the new laws by Bougainville, that are
Bougainville Public Service and Administration Law, Bougainville Public Finance
and Management Law and Bougainville Contract and Supply Law are having
Bougainville more independent from PNG and serves young Bougainvilleans to take
over their rights to make decisions for their island.
‘The current government is building your foundation,’ the
group told students, ‘and it you who will build that independent Bougainville
we have suffered and died for.’
According to the team Bougainville is now getting all the
powers and functions in the areas like having own laws like police laws and
laws on Civil Registry that will soon be established on all regions of
Bougainville. Bougainville has now own laws on community development and this
laws are also functioning and under it the 405 Bougainville athletes will be in
PNG games in November 2014. This will also further boost Bougainville sporting
and development issues effectively.
Bougainville is currently undergoing massive changes at the
policy levels as it moves towards referendum.
With its police also independent with the new Bougainville
Police Act, under the developing laws, all citizens will be subject to law. In
PNG politicians escape law but in Bougainville that will be not the case, they
will face the law.
The new laws also control power play in the political level.
The Bougainville president will not be too powerful over the Administrative
Service but rather have control over each other or operate with checks and
balances. Bougainville is learning the bad politics in PNG and thus making it
politics to be free from self-interest driven law changing culture of PNG.
In summing the meeting, Mr. Graham Kakarauts told students
to be ready to go back home and built their nation after graduating.
‘Students,’ he said, ‘We are moving forward and not backwards;
we are building a nation that will need you young Bougainvilleans to carry
forward. Our leaders have contributed their part in the fight; I am doing my part
and soon I will step down, so it is you the youth with energy will move our
Bougainville nation forward.’
No comments:
Post a Comment