Christmas present for Papua New Guinea schools

Minister for Education Hon James Marape and New Zealand High Commissioner Marion Crawshaw

Last week the Minister for Education Hon James Marape and New Zealand High Commissioner Marion Crawshaw launched a new drive to get 80,000 books into Papua New Guinea schools before the start of the 2011 school term.  Funded through the New Zealand Aid Programme, the Library Book Distribution Programme is a project run by HOPE Worldwide to support the Department of Education’s policy of establishing libraries in Papua New Guinea primary and secondary schools.

The Minister and High Commissioner visited the Port Moresby warehouse to see two container loads of books soon to be shipped to Rabaul and to observe books being packed for 35 schools in the Huon Gulf.  Teachers from participating schools will attend a National Library Service librarian training workshop in Lae at the end of November as part of the project.

HOPE’s library programme manager, Quhens Singur, explained that by the end of February HOPE’s entire 2010 stock of 250,000 books will have been sent out – and seven new containers of library books will arrive for processing.  The distribution plan for 2011 will be drawn up in consultation with education authorities.  International research suggests that there is a positive link between libraries in schools and academic performance.