Western E-learning & Teacher In-service project

The Western Province Schools Initiative aims to improve teaching, learning an access to schooling for children across rural and remote Middle and South Fly in Western Province.

Western Province is one of the largest and most inaccessible in Papua New Guinea, with vast flatland river systems abutting mountain ranges in the north and very limited infrastructure and transport options. With villages dotted between rivers and tributaries and a sparse population, accessing quality education is challenging.

By focussing on three critical parts of high quality education - teacher training, targeted coaching and holistic resourcing - the initiative aims to improve the quality of teaching and learning across remote classrooms.

 
 

To do so, the project invests in three critical elements:

  1. Teacher professional development - a series of tailored professional development workshops delivered to teachers during school holiday breaks.

  2. Teacher coaching - each school receives a weekly visit by a senior education coach who mentors them throughout the term.

  3. Resources - each teacher receives a suite of educational and technological resources for their classroom, including schoolbooks written specifically for PNG, tablets loaded with resources, solar power for classrooms and televisions to show video learning content.

Balimo Schools

A team of eight coaches visit 36 schools dotted among the river network in the greater Balimo catchment area in Middle Fly, spanning an area of approximately 3,000 square kilometres. Since commencing work with 150 elementary and primary teachers in 2021, coaches have seen a marked development of teaching skills which has led to increased student engagement, attendance and improved outcomes.

Morehead Schools

The success of the ‘pilot’ in the Balimo Schools has led to a replication of the model in the greater Morehead catchment area from 2022. As for Balimo, the Morehead FODE Satellite Centre will act as a base for resourcing and coaching activities across a network of 35 schools.

The Western Province E-learning & Teacher In-service project are an initiative of the PNG Sustainable Development Program implemented in partnership with KTF.