Prime Minister Hon. James Marape met with heads of Papua New Guinea ’s higher academic institutions on Monday 22 August 2022, in direct effort to pool the existing resources of the country’s academia to provide an edge to developmental planning for the next five years.
PRIME MINISTER MINISTER OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA MEETS HEADS OF HIGHER ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS
PRESS RELEASE
PANGU PATI SUPPORTERS | Wednesday 24 August 2022.
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape met with heads of Papua New Guinea’s higher academic institutions on Monday 22 August 2022, in direct effort to pool the existing resources of the country’s academia to provide an edge to developmental planning for the next five years.
While always demanding information to him and from him to be backed by sound data, the Prime Minister directly initiated the link between these key institutions of knowledge and himself, through his department, the Department of Prime Minister & NEC.
This link will soon become a conduit to assist in government decision-making.
The first-of-its-kind meeting at the National Research Institute (NRI) was presided over by PM Marape and assisted by his department secretary Ivan Pomaleu.
It was attended by Director of National Research Institute (NRI), Dr. Osbourne Sanida, University of PNG Vice Chancellor Dr. Frank Griffin and Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. Vincent Malaibe, University of Goroka Acting Vice Chancellor Dr. Teng Waniga, PNG University of Technology Vice Chancellor Prof. Ora Renagi, and Director of PNG Institute of Medical Research Prof William Pomat and Deputy Director Dr. Moses Laman.
The initiative was also a nod to PM Marape’s conviction that expertise should largely come from within the country instead of the outside as he continues his mission to Take Back PNG and realise the vision of making PNG the Richest Black Christian Nation on Earth, and targets as set under PNG Vision 2050.
High on the agenda in that meeting was the Prime Minister’s call to the two research institutions and the universities to provide his government with appropriate data to guide planning as well as his objectives to expand education intake capacity in universities, colleges and technical schools in the next five years.
“Our country has problems but let us now find solutions.
“In the areas that you feel the Government should look into, you offer us statistics and if evidence stake up, then we will take the path proposed.
“Politicians like me come and go but institutions of government remain.
“They must carry the memory of what we are doing consistent to our National Goals & Directive Principles, big visions like PNG Vision 2050, and our national aspirations so that we focus on national outcomes. Without focus on national outcomes, we will not progress.
“I want to establish a pool of resources where the Government can source information and data from. We already have our advisors in the country; we must make better use of them,” said PM Marape.
The meeting becomes the first link in pooling these resource personnel of the academia and is being expanded into a full-time conversation pathway to be coordinated by Secretary Pomaleu under the DPM & NEC.
