“82 percent of Papua New Guineas still don’t know how to read and write while 64 percent are unable to count numbers,” says Vice Minister for Education, Gisiwat Siniwin.
Mr Siniwin saidthere is still more work to be done with support from stakeholders and development partners.
He was at Rugli Primary School inthe Mul Beiyer District in Western Highlands Province to launchthe nationwide National Literacy Week recently.
Western Highlands Province was chosen to officially launchthe National Literacy Week.
Withthetheme: Literacy Education, Key to Successful Living,the delegates, led by Vice Minister for Education and Member for Nawae Gisuwat Siniwin were welcomed atthe Kagamuga Airport in Mt Hagen.
Students and by-standers also lined upthe streets to celebratethe National Event.
The 18th National Literacy Week wasthen officially launched bythe Vice Minister.
Minister Siniwin told more than five thousand people at Rugli Primary School that despite efforts bythe Education Department and development partners to improverthe literacy rate, more work was needed.
One way he says is by educated individuals to teach thers how to read and write.
Mr Siniwin said currently, Papua New Guinearsquo;s Literacy Rate of people aboverthe ages of 50 stands at 49 percent. While only 65 percent of those betweenthe ages of 25 to 50 years can read and write. Of people betweenthe ages of 14 years to 25, only 78 percent are literate.
The statistics, he says, needs dramatic improverment.
Apart from increasingthe Literacy Rate,the Education Department has been tasked to increasethe adult literacy rate by 50 percent by 2015.
Local MP for Mul – Beiyer Lumusa Koi Trape, told his people that K500, 000 was allocated to cater for tuition fees for Western Highlands Students attending various institutions inthe country. He also urged to people to free – up land to build more schools
The National Literacy Week ended with various item presentation and performances.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yDZ5vfJPxrk%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
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