By Fr Ambrose Pereira sdb

Boroko, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 1 May 2020 -- With the resumption of tertiary level classes on Monday 27 April and secondary classes on Monday, 4 May, students and staff are to follow strict precautionary measures in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Minister for Education, Hon. Joseph Yopyyopy, in a recent policy statement on the resumption of classes, said that it is necessary for all teachers, parents, partners and stakeholders to remain vigilant and follow safety orders and health advice to prevent and control COVID-19 in schools.

For many of the Catholic-run schools, these measures follow the directives of the PNG government and they have embraced the ‘new normal’ with a change in how classes will be conducted. Some of the precautionary measures also include strict gate control, temperature check and hand sanitizing.

Don Bosco Technological Institute, Boroko has commenced its classes with a new time table of three shifts. The last being the 6pm to 9pm workshop classes for the residents of the Mary Our Help hostel and the St Frances de Sales Residence. These students have not left the campus during the lockdown period. The staff have extra hours, and have joyfully put in their services for the sake of the students, while the students are happy to organize their program together. The reduction of contact periods is balanced by the distribution of learning materials and assessments to be done during the contact period through Moodle.

The students have returned to class and are determined to make the most of the year ahead and complete all unfinished work, lest they do not graduate at the end of the year. Staff and students have adjusted to the chang in timetable. Once classes are over the students are accompanied to the gate by the lecturer. No one is permitted to hang around in the campus.

“It has been wonderful to get back to the classes as I want to secure my dreams for the future”, said one student. “I feel greatly relieved now that we have recommenced classes, as I was getting depressed about my future”, said another. There were also a few students who said that they received little help and support from family and friends while they were at home.

"Spending five weeks at home during the lockdown due to the pandemic has made me reflect deeply on myself and my life. As a final year student and away from the DBTI school campus, I realised the importance of hands-on education and learning at a technical institute. It has taught me that education is a privilege and that I need to invest my time wisely and productively while I have the opportunity to do so. Gaining knowledge and insight has to benefit me and in turn it has to have a positive impact on the lives of others. Evaluating my priorities in life, make improvements and withdraw from habits that may be harmful were a few things I would often contemplate on. Another thing I pondered upon was the value of life as nothing in this world can function without it. Knowing that life is short and that every person will die at one point of their lives has enabled me to consider what really matters most in life and that is: God, health, people (family, associates and others) and the environment. Thus, wealth, possessions and fame which are least. The time we are going through is not easy and I hope that we as students will realise that we need to go beyond the issues we face each day to mould ourselves into persons for the future," said Regina Wayi, INS, 4thyear student.

The State of Emergency, with its lockdown, isolation and ‘stay home’ messages have been re-echoed over the past five weeks. Messages of hygiene and maintaining a safe distance have been reinforced on a constant basis. Sanitizers and disinfectants are provided to each lecturer and class instructor. Thankfully, Papua New Guinea, a country that moves from one man-made or natural disaster to the next has been protected by the Lord, His Blessed Mother, St John Bosco and Bl Peter ToRot. PNG has had eight confirmed cases of COVID-19 over the lockdown period who all are safe and recovering. Tests are being conducted and we are hopeful that the second wave will be kept in check.

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