An organisation that has been in Papua New Guinea for a decade aims to build capacity of young individuals who were not selected into high schools.
The Rays of Light Foundation is a Bahá’í organisation that aims to provide peace, equal rights and education for all.
Its main focus is to provide space for individuals to engage in activities to become empowered in order to understand both their material and spiritual well being.
These regional coordinators and tutors of the rays of light foundation are currently gathering at the Bahá’í centre in Lae to reflect on their 10 years of experience.
The programme was introduced to help combat some of the difficulties in the region with educating a population which is lightly populated, and contains many remote communities, and one where education is often regarded as a privilege, not a priority.
The Rays of Light National coordinator, Alphy Gononua, says elementary teachers training and preparation for social action are two main programs in the country.
The limited available spaces for high school students leave many Year 8 students without an option to continue their education.
School fees as well as the remoteness of some students too, can also prevent some students from opportunity to high school facilities.
Etowaen Tutuan, the tutor for preparation for social action in Miline Bay Province, says the program is one educational alternative for students who wish to continue learning and who have a desire to contribute to their community’s well-being.
Participants of the PSA program benefit from being role models of their own development, learning from their own reflections, participation, experimentation and consultation with others.
The role of the tutor of the PSA programme is to assist and guide the student’s learning and is carefully trained to orient the group and to serve as a role-model for the students.
