Upskill training for Catholic Education Secretaries and Coordinators
- Nigel Akuani
Port Moresby: An intense upskill training session for Catholic Education Secretaries (CESs) and Catholic Education Coordinators (CECs) came to a close on Friday 5th July at St Joseph’s International Catholic College, Port Moresby.
The week’s session ended with a Holy Mass celebrated by Fr Paul Jennings MSC in the School’s Chapel. Facilitators of the workshop were Catholic Education Secretary Mr. Michael Ova and Sr Emma Lapun of the Catholic Education Commission and Mrs. Roddy Abady of St. Joseph’s International College.
Fr Jennings in his address emphasised that the quality of education depended on research, stating that improving education in the country lay in collecting and presenting clear data. “Proper education is rooted in research. When Jesus is beside us in our work, our way of researching becomes more diligent, honest and caring,” he said.
Mr. Ova spoke of his satisfaction about the training’s successful outcome and thanked the staff of St. Joseph’s International College for their help and support. “I am happy the CESs and CECs attended and participated very well in this training because they will be receiving Diplomas in Leadership and Management in the coming weeks,” he said.
Sr Emma emphasized that the trainings were very interactive and were an essential component to improve the overall functions of each diocese. “Participants were very attentive and engaging during the sessions. Queries and questions were discussed. I know that when they return to their dioceses, they will impart and share their knowledge and skills. We hope to conduct more similar training sessions in future,” she said.
Mrs. Abady said that she was proud to assist the Catholic Education Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference. “The first time we received news of the training, I was honoured to facilitate the event with the Catholic Education Secretary Mr. Michael Ova. This is what we’ve done, we’ve made the training happen,” she said.
The week-long training session had over fifty participants present, who were CESs and CECs from the different Dioceses in PNG, taking part in the sessions. The sessions were focused at empowering the participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to be able to effectively carry out their duties for their respective dioceses.