Students to get the best from coffee curriculum

 Caption: Teachers listening attentively to CIC officer Anton Ningiramu’s explanation of establishing school coffee nurseries. Picture by YVONNE NGUTLICK

 By YVONNE NGUTLICK of CIC

 Teachers have fully embraced the Coffee Curriculum, which gives their pupils something to fall back on when they fail their core subjects.

The Coffee Curriculum for PNG schools directs attention to the human being because it is the farmer that physically manipulates the tree to produce coffee cherries.

Schools provide the opportunity for students to receive an education that would not necessarily give them a white-collar employment. 

 

Targeting its most important audience – the youth, the Coffee Curriculum hopes to see students grasping the “man on the land” concept.

 

Thus, the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) and the National Department of Education (NDoE), through the Coffee Curriculum, have given students an opportunity to be self-sustainable should they fail to make it through the education system.

 

The curriculum is directly linked to two of the pillar education philosophies of the PNG Government – “Relevance in Education” and “Making a Living” syllabus.

 

Students currently doing Grades seven, nine and 11 in the pilot schools would be the first pupils in PNG to test this curriculum.

 

These students would graduate next year, 2011, after sitting for the national exams with certificates that verify that they have studied coffee farming and possess the “know-how” of its production.

 

Speaking on behalf of teachers present during the launching of the School Nursery Programme in Aiyura, Eastern Highlands province, Mr Biwa of Grace Memorial Secondary School in the Morobe province, thanked CIC, NDoE and funding partner Agricultural Innovative Grant Scheme (AIGS) for the curriculum – which he said had made education more meaningful.

 

He encouraged his colleagues to utilise and integrate their available resources as much as possible to make the Coffee Curriculum a reality.

 

Mr Biwa said very good support was coming from the Wau district administration and stressed on the need of working with local level governments to advance coffee development.

 

CIC and NDoE would give teachers in primary schools piloting the curriculum special attention and guidance because the teachers do not have formal training in teaching agriculture.

 

Pilot schools for the Coffee Curriculum are Faniufa Primary, Watabum Primary, Kerebabi Primary, Tairora High, Kainantu High, Kabiufa Secondary, Basenengka Vocational, and Gotomi Vocational in the Eastern Highlands.

 

In Western Highlands: Banz Elcom Primary, St Mary’s Nondugl Primary, Keltiga Primary, Anglimp High,  Pabrabuk Secondary and Fatima Secondary.

 

Pilot schools in Simbu are Yauwe Moses Secondary, Kerowagi Secondary, Papnigl Primary and Ku Primary.

 

In Morobe, the schools are Markham Valley Secondary, Grace Memorial Secondary, Bugandi Secondary, Finschhafen Vocational and Zenang Primary.

 Pilot schools in East Sepik are Yangoru Secondary, Brugham High, Bainyik Primary, Negrie Primary, Maprik High and Kubalia High.