Marlene Delis, one of our panelists and girls’ education advocate from Papua New Guinea, shared her observations of the gendered impacts on the ground: “Coming back to school, the girls are fearful. This means most children are behind before they even attend their first class. Hi busylady2, Advice from an ex PNG expat, yes I agree with MadsDads response.. In Papua New Guinea more than 80% of the population live in rural areas, with limited access to health centres, education and agricultural services. Improving education is critical to enabling a stronger, more prosperous country, and investing in girls and early childhood development in particular, is the most effective way to get there. The total enrolment rate in developing regions reached 91 percent in 2015, and the worldwide number of children out of school has dropped by almost half. Early childhood education is foundational for children’s learning, but there is little to no access to this. GIRLS' ACCESS TO EDUCATION IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY HELEN GEISSINGER Abstract - Papua New Guinea is a developing country which gained its independence from Australia in 1975. This year the organization was awarded the Yidan Prize, which provides a total sum of HK$30 million to support their important future initiatives. Citation: Edwards, J. Since 2000, there has been enormous progress in achieving the target of universal primary education. Many of its educational structures inherited from the time of the early missions and the colonial administration influence the practices of today. I couldn’t sleep”. Unpub. Status of women in Papua New Guinea. Why strengthening schools in Papua New Guinea is important. Remoteness, gender inequity, exclusion and lack of teaching and learning resources are all factors that stop children reaching important milestones in their learning. Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a land of 800 language groups and cultures with differing attitudes and practices. WITH SUPPORT FROM EDUCATION CANNOT WAIT, TEACHERS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA ARE HELPING CHILDREN TO RECOVER FROM THE TRAUMA OF THE 2018 EARTHQUAKE WITH TEMPORARY LEARNING SPACES, GENDER-SENSITIVE APPROACHES AND NEW TRAININGS TO DEAL WITH THE CHALLENGING TIMES AHEAD Ms. Julie James Rodney, the teacher in charge of the Injua II Elementary School in Papua … In Papua New Guinea (PNG), primary school attendance is at 63.4 percent for boys and 56.5 percent for girls. What sets young Petersen Simahe apart from his peers is his passionate drive to get young girls who have dropped out of school system back in classrooms. A number of successive government and education policies have transformed the Education System and their achievements for the children of Papua New Guinea since 1930s. A 2017 report entitled ‘The Last Taboo: Research on Menstrual Hygiene Management in Papua New Guinea’ revealed the majority of the nation felt women should remain at home for the duration of their period and believed menstruating was ‘dirty and unclean’. (2015) Gender and Education Assessment, Papua New Guinea:A review of the literature on girls and education. Footer UNICEF Papua New Guinea Period taboos and stigmas around menstruation remain rampant in Papua New Guinea. Living in PNG is a great opportunity and does provide an education in life/culture etc however the majority of expat kids go to australia to boarding school for their high school education. CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education) supports some of the most excluded girls in sub-Saharan Africa to go to school, learn, thrive, and lead change for their families and communities. For me as a parent, I was scared to let my daughter walk from home to school. 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