During the outbreak of COVID-19, while many gave into the feeling of forlorn and anxiety as what seems the world receded into isolation, some people never for a second gave up or even put their ambitions on hold, but rather, sought another way to achieving their goals in light of their situation.
One such person is Okole Mitleit, a lecturer in Political Studies at the University of Papua New Guinea, who had recently, received his Masters through on-line classes provided by a prestigious university of Java, Indonesia taken during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Recalling his experience, the lecturer retold that he had been accepted after submitting his application in mid-2020 to do his Masters in Political Science at Diponegoro Univeristy in Semarang, the capital of Central Java, the largest province in Indonesia.
“It was a two-year program, but when I was accepted the offer to study, it was right into the outbreak of COVID-19, so all the plans to travel there and study changed,” he said
Instead he took up online classes that were mainly officiated through Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
He recalled his thesis being “Assessing PNG’s perceptions on Regional Integration in ASEAN: Prospect and Constraints”.
To honor Mr Mitleit’s commitment and achievement, the Indonesian Ambassador to PNG, Andriana Supandi in a humble ceremony presented him with his Masters’ Certificate on Thursday at the Indonesian Embassy in Port Moresby.
The Indonesian Ambassador whilst congratulating Mr Mitleit remarked that such an achievement given the pandemic period was admirable, and added that the Indonesian President, Joko Widodo’s visit recently was to promote such student exchange programs between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia to foster good relationship and promote development.
