Kapris granted bid to return to Bomana

THE state’s infamous prisoner, William Nanua Kapris, is heading back to Port Moresby, at taxpayers’ expense, because of alleged death threats at the Beon jail in Madang, The National reports.

The order by Justice David Cannings this week meant that the state would fund Kapris’ transfer from Beon to the maximum security unit at Bomana.

Kapris was flown to Madang two months ago to answer to charges that he was the mastermind in the K2 million-odd robbery of Bank South Pacific Madang branch on July 5, 2008. He is also wanted for questioning over two other BSP robberies.

Cannings had allowed Kapris, a convicted rapist and habitual escapee, to leave Beon because his life could be in danger, following an application by counsel David Dotaona.

There had been suggestions that there were plans to kill Kapris at Beon, according to jail bosses. Added to the uncertainty about his safety was an ongoing discontent by Beon warders over payments for providing extra security for Kapris and 13 other co-accused.

The court would rule on this on Feb 1 but, in the meantime, it ordered Correctional Services Commissioner Richard Sikani to facilitate Kapris’ transfer “with the time and method to be determined by the commissioner”.

Cannings also ordered that Kapris be released from separate confinement at Beon to another holding – not the main compound – and be allowed four hours daily exercise with access to reading materials and newspapers.

 

 

Abal: Grants are not cash handouts

ACTING Prime Minister Sam Abal warned yesterday there will be no cash handouts in Port Moresby for landowners expecting grants from the government for projects in their areas, The National reports.

Abal said he was concerned that so much misinformation on the project grants agreed under the petroleum and gas projects had led to a groundswell of complaints, accusations, anxiety, threats, assaults on government officers and damage to government properties.

“Memorandum of agreement (MoA) and development agreement (DA) project grants are non-cash benefits. I must emphasise here that these are not cash handouts.

“These benefits are obligations the national government has contracted to in formal agreements to provide in the form of infrastructure projects and granted by way of section 173 under the Oil and Gas Act,” Abal said in a statement issued last night.

“Such infrastructure projects include public roads, bridges, schools, clinics, hospitals, etc. 

“These capital work are provided to improve the welfare of our people in the petroleum project areas.”

He said cash benefits included royalty and equity, and these were received directly by affected beneficiary landowners and affected provincial and local level governments.

Abal said by the end of last year, the state expended a total of K536.6 million, both directly and through the Tax Credit Scheme, on MoA projects.

“A significant portion of this funding went directly to landowner companies without any tangible infrastructure development. This practice cannot continue if we want to improve our people’s well-being.”

He said the state had a list of payments done to landowner companies and a financial and physical audit would be undertaken on the payments made.

The principals of landowner companies would be required to acquit for the funding provided to them and provide independent certification that the projects had been implemented, he said.

Failing to acquit these defaulting landowner companies will not be able to access further funding.

For the business development grants, Abal said K120 million was allocated to be disbursed to all PNG LNG projects area licences, and of the total, K30.792 million had been paid and the remaining balance of K89.208 million would be paid this week.

The Commerce and Industry Department is responsible for the disbursement of these funds to landowners.

 

 

Schools inflating marks, Canadians say in report

MOST, if not all, secondary schools in the country have reportedly been inflating the marks scored by students in examinations, The National reports.

This has been going on for years and the Department of Education also does the same with Grade 12 examinations, The National had learnt.

The marks were inflated by as much as 40%, according to two top Canadian teachers who had taught in PNG in two separate periods.

In a damning report of the country’s education system made available to The National, they said that at one well-known school they taught, teachers were required to submit marks for all the students each term.

The students would be given A, B, C, D and E “with no regard to the actual marks they attained for their classroom performance”.

The two science teachers, who first arrived in PNG about 40 years ago, and then returned recently for another five-month stint, said that as a consequence of the practice, students were less competent than their awarded term mark would imply.

“Local teachers, accustomed and unconcerned with the regular boosting of students’ marks, never question it.

“Teachers know the Department of Education uses the same practice when determining students’ final Grade 12 marks,” they said in the report.

When they first arrived in East New Britain from Australia, the teachers, who had been trained in curriculum development, were impressed with the conditions and facilities of the school.

A year later, they were transferred to Lae where they also found science department facilities well maintained.

Schools then used the New South Wales syllabus which the two teachers felt were producing acceptable results.

After PNG, they returned to Canada where they continued to teach and were also involved in curriculum revision.

In June this year, the two retired teachers returned to the East New Britain school as volunteers and were saddened to see the poor conditions.

“Our hearts were saddened as we realised that students are now experiencing the results of an education system in failure,” they wrote in the report.

“These students are survivors of an education system rife with government corruption and plagued by inadequate funding, poor English skills of teachers, low curriculum standards, inappropriate assessment practices and lack of teacher competence and professionalism.

“Instead of graduating with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to become solid, contributing citizens in PNG, they were shortchanged in their educational experience.”

Using last year’s national biology schools as an example, they said the lower cut-off pint for an “A” grade was 47% when it should have been 80-85%.

“Students who scored 47% were awarded an A. Regular boosts of 30% or more occur for other subjects as well.”

The report said that as school leavers proceeded to post-secondary institutions, their knowledge and skill level were far below what their marks indicated, or what was required for success,

“What do colleges, universities and technical schools do with students who have such low levels of competency?

“How does PNG hope to educate and train the leaders and professionals it needs when such assessment practices paint a false picture of what students actually know and can do?”

The report also said that this year’s final examinations in biology and chemistry contained questions that were not covered in the syllabus.

Some questions were too long for students to fully understand, resulting in many not attempting to answer them at all.

The teachers also noted that questions from previous examinations were periodically recycled.

“Such recycling leads to teachers reviewing past examinations as their primary teaching technique.

“This replaces practical activities and other solid classroom science learning that needs to take place.”

Ahi Festival unites villages and Lae

By MALUM NALU
Evening at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium in Lae, the once-beautiful ‘garden city’ of Papua New Guinea, now a pothole and crime-infested garden of good and evil.




Butibam village women performing at the opening of the Ahi Festival in Lae on Sunday, Dec 12

 It is Wednesday, December 15, 2010. A sea of candles light up the stadium as hundreds of people, young and old, flock here to witness the first-ever ‘carols by candlelight’ programme Lae has ever seen in a long time.
Their mere presence sends a powerful message that they have enough of all the negative, gloom-and-doom perceptions that have beset Lae for far too long

Yanga women

It is an initiative of the St Andrew’s Lutheran congregation at Ampo, sponsored by Digicel, and is part of the inaugural Ahi Festival organised by a real angel of hope in local company Riback Stevedores, the major employer of young Ahi men and women from the six villages of Yalu, Kamkumung, Hengali, Butibam, Yanga and Wagang.

Wagang village dancers

Ahi woman leader and well-know diva Loujaya Toni, in a moving welcome, talks about the hunger – both spiritual and physical – that has been prevalent in Lae for far too long and urges the congregation to let their voices soar into the sky like eagles.
And when the voices rise, they soar higher than an eagle – over the mountains, Huon Gulf and crime-infested settlements and streets of Lae - a moment many shall never forget.
Riback operations manager George Gware, the man behind the Ahi Festival, says he is deeply touched as such an event like tonight’s carols by candlelight has never been seen before in Lae.

Go Ahi...Riback Stevedores operations manager and Ahi Festival mastermind George Gware makes a strong point at the opening

Former Kumul rugby league captain John Wilshere, ambassador of the Ahi Festival, says the presence of so many people tonight is deeply moving.

John Wilshere waving to a fullhouse crowd at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium in Lae on Sunday, Dec 12

Revereng Gigere Wenge, head bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, delivers a powerful Christmas message.
Rainy Lae lives up to name, but by the time the heavens open, most of the programme has been completed.
Tonight’s carols are part of the week’s Ahi Festival, an event which has brought together the six villages, in a sporting and cultural tour-de-force.
It really has been an amazing week as the festival brings out an extravaganza of sports and culture starting on Monday, Dec 13.

Butibam village beauty Catherine Maliaki leads her team with a traditional dance around the field on Sunday, Dec 12

The Ahi talent on show this week has been mind-boggling.
Of course, Ahi prowess in sports like basketball, volleyball and netball is well-known, with current and former internationals on show this week.
It is encouraging to see young people from the six villages zealously holding on to their culture amidst the winds of change.

Yalu women performing at the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium on Sunday, Dec 12

Ahi young talent in music is prolific.
Papua New Guinea’s latest singing sensation Greg Aaron, widely tipped to be named winner of the 2010 Digicel Stars competition on Sunday, brought the house down at the stadium on Wednesday.
Ahi favourite son ‘Greg’ – as he is known to thousands of Digicel Stars fans all over PNG – is from Yanga and has developed a cult following since his appearance in the competition this year.
The unassuming 26-year-old had the crowd – especially young people from the six Ahi villages – singing and dancing around the paddock as he took centre stage, backed by his Thronz band of Lae.
Greg’s performance was in line with one of the festival’s objectives to promote young Ahi talent in music.
He tells me that he can’t wait for Digicel Stars judgement day on Sunday – which could be the biggest break in his music career.
“I’m proud to be an Ahi,” Greg declares.
“To be part of this Ahi Festival feels just right to me.
“I feel a sense of belonging to this group.”
Greg said that whether or not he took the ultimate accolade in Digicel Stars, with a chance to pocket K10, 000 and a major recording contract, “I’ll still be the same old Greg”.
“I don’t think I’ll ever change,” he said.
“I want to say ‘thank you’ to all the Ahi people from the six villages and all the organisers and people who are taking part in this event, and everyone else.”
A well-choreographed explosion of colour lit up the Sir Ignatius Kilage Stadium on Sunday, Dec 12 with the official opening.

Team Kamkumung banner

Entertainment-starved residents of Lae thronged to the stadium in their hundreds to watch the entertainment and official opening of the festival, sponsored by local company Riback Stevedores, by former Kumul rugby league captain and Ahi’s favourite sporting son John Wilshere.
“Let us all enjoy the occasion,” he declared in his brief, straight-to-the-point address.
The opening ceremony started with a colourful march-in of teams from the six Ahi villages.
This was followed by an opening prayer by Butibam woman leader Giob Gware, national anthem sung in local language by Ampo St Andrew’s choir, a run-in by teams to join hands with staff of major sponsor and organiser Riback Stevedores, festival pledge led by organiser Bob Aaron, release of balloons, and then the opening by Wilshere.
The 15 entrants in the Miss Ahi pageant ended an enjoyable day with a parade in front of an appreciative crowd.
Before the opening ceremony, people from the six Ahi villages packed the indoor stadium for a joint church service.
Highlights of the week included the Ms Ahi pageant which will culminate with the judging on Friday, Dec 17 at Lae International Hotel, ‘Carols by Candlelight’ at the stadium on Wednesday evening, displays of traditional culture and stalls set up by non-government organisations and other service providers.

On the catwalk...Miss Wagang Jeanette Jana struts her stuff

The Ahi Festival – with the theme Promoting Education Through Sports and Culture - is aimed at raising funds for the establishment of an Ahi resource centre, an education facility which will have a library, computer laboratory and conference and workshop facilities.
“The Ahi Festival is an initiative of Riback Stevedores Ltd and has the full support of the Ahi community,” explains Riback general manager Peter Boyd.
“The company believes that the effects of the social problems facing the Ahi community can be wide-ranging in size anywhere from local effects on a family or a village to the Lae community and even the entire society.
“The company therefore wants to do its part in helping the Ahi community to help themselves to take a lead now in working towards addressing some of their social problems.
“We hope other members and stakeholders of the Lae community can also join in and help the people of Ahi in their endeavours to create an educated and orderly community that can co-exist peacefully with others in the wider Lae community.”
Boyd said the social problems of the Ahi community could be addressed only if the community could unite and work together in search of solutions with the support of strategic partners.
“The Ahi Festival can be a powerful tool to unite the Ahi community,” he added.
“It can also create awareness of the social issues and promote a team approach with key stakeholders to address the socials problems with the view to minimise its crippling effects on the people of Ahi – the current generation and also the future generation.”
Some of the main objectives of the Ahi Festival include:
• Promoting community unity;
• Promoting and preserving Ahi culture;
• Creating awareness on social Issues and assistance available; and
• Showcase local talents in culture, sports, music and business.
All that- and more - has been achieved this week.

Sir Michael Somare at ease

Sir Michael with a huge sail fish he caught using a 10-pound fishing line in Murik

SIDELINED prime minister Sir Michael Somare is back home in East Sepik, fishing in his spare time and attending to his electoral duties, The National reports.
Yesterday, he travelled by boat to the Murik Lakes area to meet with his people at Karau village and to hear their grievances.
While on his way, Sir Michael took out his fishing gear and let down the lines.
To his pleasant surprise, Sir Michael caught four huge fish.
The prized catch was a huge sail fish, weighing about 30kg and was about 160cm long.
The other three were mackerels, weighing up to 15kg each, which were shared among his Karau village relatives while the sail fish was brought back to Wewak.
While in Karau, Sir Michael spoke to his working committee on the ground about the progress on the construction of a new church building, improvement to existing infrastructure like the school, water tanks, Telikom’s VSat telecommunication equipment, aid posts and other requirements.

Despite gas, oil, Papua New Guinea remains a mining hub

DESPITE the gas project and other oil-related activities, Papua New Guinea remains a mining country, of which 60% of annual export revenue comes from the mining sector, according to Bank of PNG third quarter bulletin, The National reports.

The country boasts nine mines, where seven are currently in production, namely, Ok Tedi, Porgera, Lihir, Simberi, Tolukuma, Sinivit and Harmony Gold.

Ramu NiCo Ltd is under its final phase of construction while Kainantu mine is under care and maintenance.

Ok Tedi produces copper, with gold and silver as secondary products, while the others produce gold, with silver as their secondary product.

Nautilus Inc Ltd has applied for a mining licence  for its Solwara 1 project, to mine seafloor massive sulphides (SMS) deposits from the sea bed of the Bismarck Sea.

The SMS deposits are highly mineralised with gold, copper, silver, manganese, zinc and nickel.

Some samples assayed register values as high as 15% copper, 15 grams of gold per tonne and 20% zinc.

By comparison, these values triple those of land base prospects.

Nautilus has 14 other Solwara projects under exploration to assess the resources present in these prospects.

Other exploration projects are advancing to stages where they could be expected to progress into full mine operations around 2014-2016.

They are Frieda, Yandera and Wafi-Golpu.

These are significantly large projects that will be producing copper as primary products and gold as secondary products, plus other by-products molybdenum and rhenium which are specific to Yandera.

The increasing number of both land and sea-based exploration projects is an indication of the investors confidence in PNG as a prospective destination.

The Frazer Institute in its 2008-2009 survey of 175 mining nations in the world rated PNG as the number one country as the most prospective country with good government policies without land restrictions and social issues.

It takes years of exploration to develop mines.

Therefore, current exploration programmes would give rise to mines after 10-20 years or more.

Some of the current advance projects, such as Frieda, were explored for more than 40 years.

There was a spur of applications for EL this year with the release of the newly acquired geophysics (aeromagnetic and radiometric) and geochemistry data.

The EU mining sector support programme project made it possible for PNG to acquire these new data.

 

Teachers stranded

Hundreds not paid full leave fare home

 

HUNDREDS of teachers are stranded in various provinces nationwide because of anomalies in their leave entitlements, The National reports.

Two weeks after schools closed for the 2010 academic year, some teachers claimed their entitlements, which are the responsibility of respective provincial education divisions, had been cut in half without explanation while others had not received their entitlements.

Teaching Service Commission (TSC) acting chairman Jerry Kuhena said poor management should be blamed for these shortcomings which teachers face every year of the end of the academic year.

Complaints received from teachers in the past days showed that those stranded were in the two Sepik provinces, Madang and Western Highlands.

The worst affected was Western Highlands where at 500 teachers would not be able to spend Christmas with their loved ones because their travel arrangements were not in order even though a total of K1.6 million had been allocated for leave fares.

Of the total, about 40 are from Southern, New Guinea Islands and Momase regions.

In Madang, teachers stoned the provincial education office, forcing its closure. Reports said at least 50 teachers would not make it home.

TSC Momase regional adviser Joseph Ouyoumb said provinces were duty-bound to disperse teachers’ leave entitlements on time. The entitlements were normally available after two years service at a particular posting.

Other complications arise where teachers have dependents, questions about the most economical route to home provinces and forms of transportation budgetted for.

There are also complaints that local teachers, who are not entitled to travel entitlements, are receiving them, thus, draining the travel budget for mostly coastal teachers.

Elsewhere, some teachers warned of mass withdrawal, claiming that there were injustice and nepotism at the provincial education offices.