Coffee Industry News
First inservice workshop for Coffee Curriculum (14/04/09)
More than eighty teachers from schools piloting the Coffee Curriculum are currently attending a first ever coffee in-service workshop for teachers.
Launched in October last year, the Coffee Curriculum was developed to educate and train students with the appropriate coffee knowledge and skills to be productive and purposeful citizens in the community. It aims to help school-leavers be meaningfully engaged in the community and be self-employed to earn an income to sustain their livelihood. The Curriculum is directly linked to two of the pillar education philosophies of the PNG Government – “Relevance in Education” and “Making a Living” syllabus. It also compliments the PNG Coffee Industry Strategic Plan to “implement a Coffee Curriculum”.
The Coffee Curriculum in-service workshop is currently being conducted in three provinces: Western Highlands Province, Eastern Highlands Province and East Sepik Province.
In his opening address at one of the in-service workshop in Aiyura, Eastern Highlands Province, CIC Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ricky Mitio, stressed that schools provided the opportunity for students to receive an education that would not necessarily give them a white-collar employment. But for the students leaving schools as school leavers, coffee farming offered a viable alternative as a sustainable employer.
“We (CIC and the National Department of Education) are taking the step, through this Coffee Curriculum, to target an important audience (the youth), that must be given necessary coffee skills and knowledge to be self sustainable. Also through the curriculum, we want to encourage the concept of “man on the land” for students that do not make it through the education system,” said Mr Mitio.
Upon discussions, concerns were raised by teachers on agriculture often rated as a “minor” subject in teacher training institutions which have been a stumbling block for the education system not having qualified agriculture teachers to teach the subject.
A teacher from a pilot school in Morobe, Bugandi Secondary School, Mr N’dreyeh Titus, fully embraced the Coffee Curriculum saying that the notion was innovative and will equip the future generation of coffee farmers.
This year, the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) Ltd in partnership with the National Department of Education are piloting the coffee curriculum in five provinces: Western Highlands, Simbu, Eastern Highlands, Morobe ands East Sepik Provinces. Six schools (two Primary, Secondary and Vocational Schools) from the five provinces have been selected to pilot the Coffee Curriculum.
CIC has pledged to work closely with the teachers and their schools to further the Coffee Curriculum.
Under the National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP), the Government has released funds for the coffee industry District by District Village Coffee Rehabilitation and nursery programs. The nursery programs will be linked to the Coffee Curriculum, with pilot schools establishing nurseries.
The pilot schools for the Coffee Curriculum are Faniufa Primary, Watabum Primary, Tairora High, Kainatu High, Kabiufa Secondary, Basenengka Vocational, Gotomi Vocational School in the Eastern Highlands Province are: Banz Elcom Primary, St. Mary’s Primary, Keltiga Primary, Pabrabuk Secondary, Fatima Secondary, Minj Vocational, and Kuli Vocational School in Western Highlands Province; Brandi Secondary, Yangoru Secondary, Brugham High, Yawatong Vocational, Bainyik Primary, Negrie Primary School in the East Sepik Province; Markham Valley Secondary, Grace Memorial Secondary, Bugandi Secondary, Finschaffen Vocational, Bulolo Vocational, Tewai-Siassi Primary, and Zenang Primary School in the Morobe Province; Yauwe Moses Secondary, Kerowagi Secondary, Migende TVET School, Papnigl Primary School, Ku Primary School and Gembogl Vocational in the Simbu Province.
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