Madang to send second lot of FODE students to India this year
The Madang Provincial Government is preparing to send the second batch of Flexible Open Distance Education or FODE students to further their studies in India this year.
Governor Ramsey Pariwa announced this after returning from a visit to the students over the New Year festive period.
He said the first lot of 20 students are performing exceptionally well, and he is impressed with their academic results.
The twenty students are studying at the Karunya University and Kalasingam University.
Upon his visit to the two universities, he was informed that the FODE students from Madang had done exceptionally well in their first semester, and all of them would be continuing on to the next semester this year.
Governor Pariwa's trip to India was arranged by the National Education Department through the Flexible Open Distance Education [FODE] secretariat because Madang has a large number of FODE students studying in India.
Governor Pariwa is the first in the country to have sent FODE students overseas for further studies.
During his meet and greet session with students in India, Governor Pariwa encouraged them that the main aim of sending them purposely to India is to attain similar knowledge and skills academically, like their counterparts from India, so when they return, they would help him develop Madang Province.
He stated that he is so proud of them for doing well in their studies during the first semester and said they are good ambassadors of Madang and Papua New Guinea.
He further encouraged them not to worry about their fees as it was his job to find money to support their studies.
Governor Pariwa said the next batch of Madang FODE students will be travelling to India in July this year, and the number might increase.
The delegation to India included the Madang Governor, Madang Provincial Education Director, Alphonse Igag, and the Governor’s First Secretary, Francis Tavatuna, who accompanied the Deputy Secretary of Education and the National FODE Principal to visit STEM and FODE students in Karunya University and Kalasingam University.
Mr. Igag encouraged the students to focus more on their studies and do well academically since they would be setting the benchmark for FODE in the country and also promote visionary leadership of Governor Pariwa in the education sector in Madang Province.
The first batch was sent in August last year.
The students were sekected from all six districts in the province.
The students had also expressed appreciation and gratitude to Mr Pariwa and his government for realising their potential and for giving them the opportunity to study abroad.
Governor Pariwa also took the opportunity to discuss with various universities in India for more FODE and STEM students from Madang to be sent there.
Amongst the FODE students is a former student from Tusbab Secondary who completed her studies at Wawin National High School and is currently a STEM student studying in India.
She is from Ambenob LLG in Madang District.
Under the leadership of Governor Pariwa, the Madang Government will continue to support students under the Sir Peter Barter Tertiary Education Scholarship Program and FODE this year.