

Literacy Providers
Literacy
National Literacy and Awareness Secretariat
National Literacy & Awareness Secretariat (NLAS) Roles and Responsibilities
Vision Statement
The vision for Literacy in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is that Education should not be perceived as a passport to a paid job. Literacy education must focus on the entire population to be liberated from ignorance so that they acquired cognitive and practical skills with positive attitudes to others for the purpose of becoming self-reliant and living useful lives in their societies.
Mission Statement
- To develop a Non Formal Education (NFE) System that will maintain, preserve and promote our cultural identity, heritage, traditional values and beliefs
- To make education accessible to the poor and physically, mentally and socially handicapped as well as to those who are educationally disadvantaged.
- To facilitate and promote the integral human development
- To promote possibilities for NFE recipients to enter the Formal Education System of Papua New Guinea.
Goal
“That all persons endeavor to achieve universal literacy in Tok Pisin, Hiri-Motu or English and in Tok Ples or ita eda tano gado (National Constitution of PNG, 1975).
NLAS was established in 1990 with the role to support and coordinate literacy and NFE with the
imple-menting government departments, agencies, civil society organizations and other stakeholders. NLAS missions are: to develop a NFE system that will that will maintain, preserve and promote our culture, heritage, traditional values and beliefs; to make education accessible to the poor and physically, mentally and socially handicapped as well as those who are educationally disadvantaged; to facilitate and promote integral human development, and to provide possibilities for NFE recipients to enter the formal education system.
While the responsibilities for NLAS are clear they are unfunded because NLAS has no direct link to Department of Community Development (DCD). The NLAS is currently housed within the National Library and Archives of NDOE, and their work plan is incorporated into that of the DoE. In this sense, the NLAS lacks the status or priority or even relevance that it could warrant. Further, an analysis of NLAS budget over the years showed that annual funding has been inadequate and only caters for staff salaries with little allocation to support literacy providers. This means NLAS is unable to carry out its mandates. Overall, NLAS lack of capacity and funds weakened its role on one hand and on the other hand, without a literacy and NFE policy implementation framework, this results in fragmented approach to program coordination explains why NLAS is facing it a challenge to implement the NLP.
Current Staff Profile
Director: Mr. Willie Jonduo
Project Manager: Mr. Nicholas Nembo
Awareness Officer: Mrs. Genua Toua
Training Officer: Mrs. Maggie Guria