PNG sends teachers to study in Bali JAYAPURA, Papua: In a cooperation with the Indonesian government, the Papua New Guinea government on Sunday sent seven teachers to study Bahasa Indonesia at a Teachers Training Institute in Singaraja, Bali.
“Bahasa Indonesia has become a need in our country, so to make the people more familiar with it, we need teachers who have mastered the language to teach it,” said Damien Rapese, acting deputy secretary for standards and human resource development, Papua New Guinea.
He said the move was possible following cooperation in the fields of education, culture and tourism between the Indonesian government and Papua New Guinea (PNG) beginning in 2003.
The seven teachers, who came from Sandaun province, will study in Bali for two years on a scholarship from the institute. Their living expenses will be covered by the Indonesian government.
Damien said two teachers from Papua New Guinea were currently studying Bahasa in Bali. “With the addition of seven teachers, it means there are nine teachers learning Bahasa Indonesia at IKIP Singaraja, Bali,” education and culture attache of the Indonesian Embassy in Port Moresby, Johanes Esomar, said in Jayapura.
At the embassy, more than 240 Papua New Guineans come on a daily basis to study Indonesian in a three-month course. “The course participants are separated into three classes and each class studies for five hours a day. And there’s a special class every Saturday,” Johanes said.
The participants, he said, were students, police officers, military personnel and the embassy’s staff. Participants from among the students will be selected for a scholarship program in Indonesia. “Papua New Guinea has started to look at its neighbors in the north, especially Indonesia, as a place to study,” Johanes said. – JP