The National Department of Education Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Policy and Implementation Guidelines were launched yesterday at the Vulupindi Haus.
Present to officiate the launch was the Minister for Education, Francis Kikin Siune and Secretary for Education, Dr. Uke Kombra (pictured below).
The Papua New Guinea Government recognizes that addressing Gender Equity and Social Inclusion issues is critical to effective nation-building.
The Assistant Secretary to the Human Resource Management Division of NDoE, David Neisause, highlighted the functions of this policy stating that the GESI unit is responsible for overseeing all GESI related matters across both school systems and public service.
“Developing this specific public service policy was critical to safe-guiding our staff where it ensures our workplace is conducive, safe and free from all kinds of violence and discrimination,” said Mr. Neisause.
He also highlighted that the NDoE public service policy is the result of immense hard-work and commitment of the GESI unit under the Human Resource Management Division and the policy team who have worked tirelessly to ensure this day happens.
According to Dr. Uke Kombra, this policy will strengthen the way public servants operate and will also support the achievement of the National Education plan 2020-2029.
“Equity has been worked to align with the link with other public service management policy; this policy is not about women competing against men, there is no preference in this policy. This policy simply means everyone is equal, everyone is fair, ready to be treated, and must be in all respects,” said Dr. Kombra.
He added that this policy is about men and women collaborating, recognizing each other’s strengths, treating one another with dignity and respect and ensuring that every member of the workforce has a fair opportunity to succeed.
“When we work together, we work to make better decisions. When we value different perspectives, we become stronger leaders and when we remove unnecessary barriers, we become a stronger department,” said the Secretary for Education.
Dr. Kombra echoed that importantly, the GESI Policy extends beyond gender. It recognizes the value of people living with disabilities and it also recognizes employees from different provinces and different culture.
He said that a policy only has values when it changes behaviors and emphasized that the success of this policy depends on the commitment of every manager and every employee to put its principles into practice and called on all leaders across all levels of the Education Department to champion this policy.
