By Walter Wetzel
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April 2, 2016
Bilum Books in Kiunga! On Thursday 21 April 2016, new schoolbooks will be launched in Kiunga. Why Kiunga? “We’re launching in Kiunga to show we are serious about reaching out to teachers and students in remote and rural areas, not just in the big cities and towns,” according to Ray O’Farrell, Publisher at Bilum Books. The launch is being organized by Cross-Country School of Excellence and Western Education Books & Stationery (WEBS) based in Kiunga. Bilum Books is a new business. Its mission is to help raise the standards of literacy in PNG. Literacy levels in PNG are 57%, the lowest in the Pacific. There are many reasons why: the ruggedness of PNG, a developing economy, a huge population and its widespread distribution over the Highlands, lowlands and islands. These are just some of the factors that make it difficult to deliver high quality services in education. But PNG can do better than 57%. We know schoolchildren in PNG are just as smart as children anywhere. Why can’t they be taught to read well and write well? Ray O’Farrell believes they can “If we give teachers the right training and the right tools”. He believes that Bilum Books are the tools that teachers need to teach literacy and to help students reach a new standard. Bilum Books’ mission is to support the Standards-Based Curriculum, to produce good books, to train teachers and help them implement the new curriculum. “We want students reach the new standards being set by the Department of Education.” 25 new books will be launched on Thursday. They have been over two years in development. Consultation has taken place at every step, with curriculum officers in Port Moresby and practicing classroom teachers around the country - and PNG artists have drawn the illustrations. The launch in Kiunga will also be accompanied by two days of free workshops for teachers in the Kiunga area. Why “Bilum Books”? - Our name Bilums are uniquely and proudly PNG. Bilums are strong and useful, they connect us. Bilums share our culture and traditions. Bilums carry hope for the future – our babies, our food, our belongings. Bilum Books will help to educate our young people and raise the standards of literacy and learning in Papua New Guinea. Bilum Books, like bilums, carry hope for the future. Bilum Books, our books.