PNGAA Scholarship Fund
PNGAA Scholarship Scheme
Earlier this year the PNGAA Management Committee decided to commence a scholarship scheme for needy students in remote parts of PNG.
Glenda Giles
To help ensure the integrity of the scheme and to ensure that funds provided to help students are used for that purpose, the committee enlisted the aid of Glenda Giles. Glenda went to PNG in 1967 and is still there, now a retired secondary school teacher and inspector of schools, living in Wewak. She still visits high schools and secondary schools from time to time and recommended that, in the first instance, we might support students at Anguganak Junior High. This school is one operated by the Evangelical Alliance Agency and open to students of all church groups. Evangelical Alliance is a group of mainstream Protestant churches who work with the PNG government in both health and education.
The school is in the government system so students have the chance to go from grades 9 and 10 at Anguganak to grade 11 and 12 at either Lumi, Nuku, Green River or Aitape and from there to tertiary education. Steven Aruani is the headmaster at Anguganak High. Scholarship money is transferred directly into the school’s bank account.
Originally the management committee agreed to provide funding for two students but after a change in government policy that reduced fees for high school students, we decided to increase the number of supported students to six. Those students were selected by the headmaster and Glenda from among students finishing year 8 in 2022. The headmaster has told Glenda that all students are progressing well so far. At year’s end we expect to receive a formal report from the school about their marks and progression towards year 10.
Students from Anguganak Junior High
More recently, following a welcome and generous donation from the Gold Coast PNG Club, we have agreed to buy the basic textbooks needed by our scholarship holders. That donation, together with others by members and friends of the Association suggest that the scholarship scheme might be expanded to include other young people in remote parts of PNG.
SAMSON MEIYAPIN
Aged 16 of Anguganak village
dreams to be a human resource
but he knows that his eventual
career depends on getting into
upper secondary school and on
marks achieved there.
SHEPPELLE KAPIKA
Aged 16 of Anguganak village
wants to become a doctor or a
nurse because that is the need of
her health centre. She wants to
serve her own agency and her
own people.
Anguganak is in West Sepik Province and was formerly the headquarters of the Lumi sub-district.
Anguganak High School does not have access to the internet and the journey there from Wewak by road is arduous and dangerous. There are many other places like that in PNG with children who need help to get an education.
We are privileged to be able to help some more students in need, but the extent of that will depend on the generosity of groups such as the Gold Coast PNG Club (see pages 12–15) and others with a continuing regard for the future of PNG. We invite individual members of PNGAA to visit the Treasurer’s Corner at the end of this issue to find a way to donate to the Scholarship Fund.
The students chosen to benefit from scholarships in 2023, their villages, ages and sex and short statement about their aspirations, are listed below.
JOHN EGERTON, PNG Kundu Editor
MACQUARDAH ANPAN
Aged 15 and from Anguganak
village, is good at science and she
wants to be a nurse because
there is a shortage of child welfare
nurses in the local health
centre.
RAILLY ALIAWANI
Aged 20, from Edwaki village,
dreams that, with God’s help, he
will be a doctor and prosper.
EUTHANNESHIA MEIBO Aged 16 of Anguganak village
wants to be an engineer because
she loves science and mathematics.
She wants to help educate her
people and help her district like
her father did.
NEMANTU HAIMOWI
Aged 18 of Leiko village, dreams
that, with God’s help, he will be a
lawyer and prosper.
