Informal Lifelong Learning for Development in Papua New Guinea: A case study from the margins into the mainstream

Abstract

This article traces the impact of the Ginigoada Foundation on the educational development of thousands of children and adults in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Port Moresby, capital city of Papua New Guinea (PNG), had been noted for the lack of educational opportunities for the majority of the population who lived in urban villages and squatter settlements. A “User-Pay” policy resulted in children not attending school because the costs were too high. Elsewhere in PNG, educational opportunities for children and adults were even lower. Dame Carol Kidu was instrumental in the establishment of the Ginigoada Foundation, an NGO that provides learning and training assistance, and she reflects on past and current developments in this article.

Ginigoada’s initial programs for learning and development in Port Moresby were so popular that they led to the establishment of a fleet of buses to take programs out to local communities initially in Port Moresby (PNG’s capital city) and now the model is expanding to other provinces of PNG. Numbers of enrolments and graduation successes confirm that the Ginigoada Foundation has been very successful in terms of meeting learning needs. New developments include UNICEF- funded Open Learning Networks and the provision of a mobile wifi library.