Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, Bruce Davis, recently visited Anditale High School in Enga, one of 12 high-performing PNG schools participating in the PNGAus Partnership Secondary Schools initiative.
Launched in 2019, the initiative partners 12 of Papua New Guinea’s highest performing schools with 12 Australian schools to boost learning outcomes, school collaboration and people-to-people links. It is targeting students in Years 9 and 11, STEM teachers and female school leaders and will directly reach more than 2,400 students.
The initiative aims to strengthen relationships between Papua New Guinean and Australian secondary schools, build capabilities and deepen people-to-people links in a technology-driven and globally interconnected 21st century.
Principal Peter Yanage, two teachers and four students from Anditale Secondary School were part of the initiative’s first cohort in 2019, among a total of 84 participants from PNG.
Speaking during his visit, Mr Davis said, ‘Secondary and National High Schools hold particular importance in Papua New Guinea as they are essential sites for developing leaders and contributing to nation building in the country and the PNGAus Partnership Secondary Schools initiative has exceeded even my ambitious expectations - it is receiving attention from the highest levels of our two Governments’.
Mr Davis made special mention of additional support to more of the Province’s school leaders, teachers and students as part of the initiative. In coming months, Anditale Provincial High School will host and co-facilitate professional learning for schools in their province. Which means more school leaders, teachers and students in Enga Province will be able to build 21st Century education skills together.
“Anditale High School will lead professional development for a cluster of four schools in Enga. The schools will work together to build the skills of the Province’s school leaders, teachers and students, supported by the PNG Aus Partnership Secondary Schools initiative” he said.
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Australian High Commissioner Bruce Davis with Anditale High School students and teachers