The Minister for International Trade and Investment and Yangoru-Saussia MP Richard Maru recently announced that the construction of multi-million-kina Bararat Bridge in the Sausso LLG of Yangoru-Saussia District in the East Sepik Province will commence on Monday, January 22, 2024. This follows a successful peace ceremony that was hosted in the Bararat village where the two warring factions came together and exchanged cash, pigs, and rings (shell money) as compensation for the murder of two lives over sorcery claims. It took over 8 months for the peace negotiation to finally reach the stage where peace and normalcy had returned to the village. “Bararat Village is the host of this 40-metre bridge that will connect Wewak and the rest of the Yangoru-Saussia District to the 14 villages that the bridge will serve.” These people have always found it very difficult to cross over to Wewak and back during the rainy season when the river swells from the floods. They have been crying for a bridge since prior to independence and finally the Marape-Rosso Government through its District Infrastructure funding will deliver the bridge this year. “This bridge will not only serve Yangoru-Saussia District but also Angoram District especially the Middle Sepik area including the new Middle Sepik High School at Timboli village along the banks of the Sepik River, said Maru.” “This is a long awaited and much needed project and a wonderful new year present for my people.” “I am looking forward to meeting not only the people from Bararat village but all people from the 14 villages that the bridge will serve.” Minister Maru further made a statement by calling on the people of Bararat and all the nearby communities to support the contractor and all the local workers who will be engaged to ensure that the bridge is completed as soon as possible.

More than 13, 000 primary and secondary schools nationwide will soon receive Term 1 of the Government Tuition Fee Subsidy (GTFS) payment after Prime Minister James Marape presented a dummy cheque of K213.4 million to the Education Department. The Minister for Education, Jimmy Uguro, has thanked the Marape/Rosso Government for releasing very early the amount of K213.4 million on Tuesday 9th January to cover Term 1 of this year. “On behalf of 1.4 million students taught by 62,822 teachers in more than 13,000 schools nationwide, I thank the Prime Minister for prioritizing education by ensuring that the funds for Term 1 are released early to the Department,” said Mr Uguro. He is calling on the school administrations to use the funds wisely to prepare for the beginning of Term one. “I also call on the school administrations to acquit these monies and provide quarterly reports to the Department, through the Provincial Education Offices in order to receive tuition fee payments.” “Parents and the community have a right to ask School Boards to account and acquit these public funds every time and anytime.” Meanwhile, the Minister for Education has called on all the teachers nationwide to remain calm and neutral and let those managing the Alesco system to fix the tax cut issue and pay their dues next payday. “Our neutrality is very important to show our commitment to the education of our country’s future.”

With the rise of tuberculosis cases in NCD, people are encouraged to get themselves tested for TB as the services have come closer to their communities through the Emergency TB Systematic Screening Intervention that’s currently underway at Koki Wanigela. This program comes under the National Department of Health’s (NDoH) Systematic Screening Intervention (SSI) program implemented through the Emergency Tuberculosis Project (ETP) with the support of the National Capital District Provincial Health Authority (NCDPHA). NDoH TB Program Manager Dr. Margaret Kal said, so far in the Moresby South Communities, they have screened 4 out 12 sites and only half of the population came forward. She said, in the past, patients had to wait a week or so to get their results, but with the new X-ray machine on site, patients will only wait for 2 hours after collection of sputum and their test results will be available. “You don’t need to go to the hospital. You come here. We screen you and doctors will do your X-Ray on the spot and tell you if you have TB or not depending on the X-Ray. And after only 2 hours after collecting your sputum, we will be able to give your results.” Dr. Kal also stated that, if they know that they have TB, the patient will start treatment right away. “We are doing everything that we can do so that you can get better if you have TB. What we need from you is to come forward because the services are here are accessible.” She added the other half of the population needs to come forward to get tested. “If you are a member of the community here, know that the services here are to help you and not to find out you have TB and stigmatize you. We are here to help you. ” She is calling on all families and communities within Moresby South to come forward and get themselves tested. She said people need to understand that TB is not a personal sickness. TB is referred to as a market because anyone can catch the disease when infected people cough, sneeze, or spit. “If you got TB, then know that you got it from someone else. You can get it on the bus, shops, in the house or anywhere in Port Moresby because NCD has the highest TB burden in the country.” She further stated that, based on the screening so far, they have screened five to six thousand of the population and out of that, there’s almost two thousand TB cases. “So, if we extrapolate that to the district population of Moresby South alone, we think that there could be almost 30-40 thousand people living with TB in Moresby South alone and that is happening every year.” “But we are not able to see it because people are no coming forward to access the free services.” She is now calling on families and the communities to support anyone who is diagnosed with TB to come forward and seek treatment.

More than 16 North American teams have entered the NRL's Vegas 9s as officials consider expanding the tournament in future years following interest from grassroots clubs in Australia, England and South Africa. The Vegas 9s will be played on February 29 and March 1 ahead of the NRL’s historic season opening double header at Allegiant Stadium on March 2 in which the Sea Eagles will play the Rabbitohs and the Roosters take on the Broncos. Like the NFL-style Combine that the NRL is conducting on the day of the double-header for North American male and female athletes, the Vegas 9s will feature men’s and women’s tournaments. USARL champions Santa Rosa Dead Pelicans, who beat Jacksonville Axeman in the 2023 national final, are among the teams from across North America to have officially entered the tournament. Others US teams include the Brooklyn Kings, Boston 13s, LA Mongrel, San Diego Barracudas and the Afro-centric Roots Rugby Family, with the latter three having also entered women’s teams. Utah Rugby League has confirmed that the Provo Broncos, Glendale Storm, Herriman Roosters and Riverton Seagulls would also travel to Las Vegas for the tournament. The vision that we see for this in coming years is that teams from Australia and England or other parts of the world could enter. Brad Donald GM of Player Pathways Canada’s BC Bulldogs and Storm, Ontario Ospreys and Toronto Saints have entered men’s or women’s teams, or both. Canada Ravens coach Mike Castle, who along with Jillaroos coach Brad Donald is helping to organise the Vegas 9s and Combine in their roles with the NRL, said the events were attracting new players from other sports to the game in North America. “The 9s will be an opportunity for more people to give rugby league a go,” said Castle, who is NRL pathways project manager. “It is a two-day tournament, so it is easy to fit in if you are playing other sports and want to try rugby league. “I know a couple of the Canadian teams have been able to engage new players because it is an opportunity to go to Vegas and try the game.” USA women’s coach Ady Cooney is also helping to organise and promote the Vegas 9s and Combine, which he believes can have a major impact on the growth of the game in the United States. “It’s about getting people access to the game that have never had it before, and I think the big ticket is being able to go and watch the NRL games after that,” Cooney said. “Seeing the standard in the flesh is always different to watching it on TV and I think if people play in the Vegas 9s and then to go to the NRL games they will get excited about rugby league and want to play. “I think the NRL has a five-year plan to keep coming back to the United States so hopefully this grows every year, and we can build on that.” While the interest in North America has been strong for this year’s Vegas 9s, Donald said he had also fielded inquiries from grassroots teams in Australia, England and South Africa wanting to take part. In future years, the tournament could be expanded to become a World 9s tournament for grassroots clubs from around the globe. “There is $40,000 prize money on offer and the vision that we see for this in coming years is that teams from Australia and England or other parts of the world could enter,” said Donald, GM of player pathways for the NRL. “Imagine a club like [2023 Illawarra premiers] the Thirroul Butchers, instead of spending money on end-of-season trip away, they come to Vegas in their pre-season and play. “Our aim is to bring all of the rugby league community together while growing the game in North America.” The NRL will also hold an NFL-style Combine in Las Vegas on March 2, with 25 male and 25 female athletes from North America to take part in a series of physical testing and skills assessment. After the Combine, two male and two female athletes with the potential to play in the NRL or NRLW will be offered the opportunity to train with an elite team in Australia and showcase their talents to clubs. Source:NLR.com  

As of the 31 December 2023, over 35,000 students have benefitted from the Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP), with a total expenditure exceeding K177 million since 2020. Prime Minister James Marape commended the success of HELP, a flagship initiative introduced by his government in 2020, during an update received from Higher Education Research Science and Technology (DHERST) Minister Hon. Don Polye and Secretary Fr. Jan Czuba on Thursday, January 4, 2024. The detailed report presented on Thursday revealed that a cumulative amount of K177,371,936 in student HELP loans has been disbursed from 2020 to 2023. Out of this total, 35,615 approved student loans were disbursed by December 31, 2023. The annual breakdown is as follows: • 2020: K28,588,354 (5,204 students benefitting) • 2021: K27,688,365 (6,743 students benefitting) • 2022: K47,093,604 (9,840 students benefitting) • 2023: K74,001,613 (13,828 students benefitting) Additionally: • A total of 17,440 undergraduate students at universities have benefited from HELP from 2020-2023. • •A total of 405 post-graduate students at universities have benefitted from HELP from 2021-2023. • A total of 6,477 students at teachers’ and nursing colleges have benefitted from HELP from 2020-2023. • A total of 11, 293 students at business colleges, technical colleges, and private providers have benefited from HELP from 2020-2023. PM Marape praised Minister Polye and Secretary Czuba for the impressive performance of the HELP programme, emphasising its success since its inception in 2020 and the increasing number of students benefiting each year. “The HELP remains a successful programme, and with a total of 13,828 students benefitting in 2023, we anticipate continued growth with the increased new intakes for 2024.” He reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring quality education is accessible to all students in an affordable manner, stating, “This Government is fully committed to ensuring quality education is accessed by all students in an affordable manner.” PM Marape also highlighted that in 2022 the programme had generated its first repayment when the first beneficiaries began repaying the loan. He emphasized that beneficiaries would not be pressured to repay the loan hastily and can opt for a lifelong repayment plan. “The loan repayments will be saved in what is called the Higher Education Endowment Fund, which will generate returns and, in turn, self-sustain the programme in the long run.” The Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) was initiated by the Marape Government in 2019 and officially launched in 2020. This loan scheme aims to assist students facing financial constraints in paying their tertiary institution fees with zero-based interest while offering flexible loan repayments commencing on productive employment. The program is administered and overseen by DHERST. It aligns with the government's commitment to the policy mantra of 'leaving no child behind,' ensuring that every child in PNG has equal access to educational opportunities. The objective is to eliminate school fees as a barrier to education, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and providing all children with the chance to pursue their academic goals.

Since the start of its establishment in 2011, the PNG Life Education Institute (PNGLEI) has been filling the gap for many PNG youths in the nation’s capital and the central province by providing a second chance at education and not only that, but to up skill the youths with certifications and job offers on hand after completion of training. Principal and Managing Director of the PNGLEI Mr. Rai Gini said, over 4000+ under privileged youths have graduated through this. He said, out of the 164 students who passed out last year, 75% of them have secured jobs and 25% are yet to find job placements. “We at PNGEI have created employment opportunities for more than 3800 unemployed youths and provided up skilling training for more than 350 reputable organizations and Government firms throughout PNG.” “Our SME program has also resulted in more than 1,200 entrepreneurs given the opportunity to start and operate their successful businesses.” He said their training is mostly in the business area and the institute has been set up to give them another chance after school and at life. PNG Life Education Institute is specialized in Education and Skills Training to School Leavers/Non School Leavers, Unemployed Youths, and employees of the private and government sectors in: • Life Skills Education • Improving Education through English connect 1, 2 & 3 • MSME Training, Development & Implementation • Self-Reliance Education • Job Placement • Spiritual Education • Leadership Training • Management Training • Training of Trainers • Agriculture • Business Management Training • Project Management & Proposal Writing • Further Education Pathway Connect “PNGLEI’s paramount aim or goal for the institute is to promote education through Self –Reliance & Spiritual Education, provide Life Skills Training and others related educational services in the National Capital District, Central, Motu Koitabu and expand to other provinces in PNG.” Mr. Gini further stated that, registrations are now open, and classes will commence next week.

While others celebrated the beginning of a new year, the Port Moresby General Hospital welcomed 25 babies, from 12midnighr to 12noon on the 1st of January 2024. All the dedicated nurses, doctors and allied staff of the labour and post-natal wards welcomed the safe delivery of 16 females and 9 males of babies and the care of their mothers. Most of the mothers had their babies delivered normal accept one mother underwent caesarean while the other mother was assisted with the vacuum and delivered her baby girl safely and still under close observation. Thus, her baby was the heaviest with the weight of 4.5 kg. Another young mother, Gino Wahe was very happy to have her first baby boy born on the New Year. The 19-year-old Gino comes from Gulf but resides in Port Moresby. Gino gladly thanked doctors and nurses for the safe delivery of her first child. Among the mothers was also a 15-year-old girl who gave birth to a baby boy on New Year.

Giving blood saves lives! Tis the season for giving. Staff across ExxonMobil rallied together this Christmas, to give the gift of life, by donating 185 bags of blood to the Port Moresby General Hospital blood bank, totalling more than 4 times the daily average currently being collected. Donations were collected at ExxonMobil Haus, in Port Moresby, and at the PNG LNG Plant site, at Caution Bay. This marks the second blood drive campaign conducted across ExxonMobil sites this year through a collaboration between ExxonMobil’s Medicine and Occupational Health Department, Port Moresby General Hospital Blood Bank, and the Sir Brian Bell Foundation. ExxonMobil PNG’s staff contributions to the blood bank totalled 311 bags this year: saving approximately 933 lives.

Success such as the Broncos' rise to the 2023 grand final often means letting go of several stars, with Herbie Farnworth, Thomas Flegler, Kurt Capewell and Keenan Palasia all heading out the door ahead of the start of the 2024 campaign. The Broncos signed Roosters forward Fletcher Baker in a bid to fill the void left by the Dolphins-bound Flegler but the club has placed a big focus on retaining the nucleus of their squad, with coach Kevin Walters pinning his faith on the next generation of talent with just two new signings for 2024. Capewell’s experience and leadership will be missed after his switch to the Warriors, with 21-year-old Brendan Piakura likely to get first shot at the vacant back-row position after stringing 13 games together last season. Young gun Xavier Willison will be eager to nail Titans-bound Palasia's spot on the bench. As for Farnworth, 25-year-old Jesse Arthars is likely to be challenged with the task of filling the star Englishman's shoes after extending his contract through to 2026 earlier in the year. Deine Mariner is also an option to shift to the centres with veteran winger Corey Oates extending his contract for 2024. Losing three star forwards and a Dally M Centre of the Year will certainly take some adjusting but with star fullback Reece Walsh locked in until the end of 2025 and grand final hat-trick hero Ezra Mam looking set to remain at Red Hill, the Broncos' top 17 stacks up alongside the best in the NRL. Predicted Round 1 team Reece Walsh Deine Mariner Jesse Arthars Kotoni Staggs Selwyn Cobbo Ezra Mam Adam Reynolds Payne Haas Billy Walters Fletcher Baker Brendan Piakura Jordan Riki Patrick Carrigan Cory Paix Kobe Hetherington Xavier Willison Corey Jensen Full Broncos squad and signings here. Key Changes Ins: Fletcher Baker (Roosters), Jaiyden Hunt (Dragons) Outs: Herbie Farnworth (Dolphins), Keenan Palasia (Titans), Tom Flegler (Dolphins), Kurt Capewell (Warriors), Logan Bayliss (unsigned) Health Watch No major injury concerns heading into 2024. Positional battle to watch As England star Herbie Farnworth begins his new chapter with the Dolphins, Jesse Arthars will be in the mix for the first shot at nailing down the vacant centre position. Arthars played just one game in the centres when Farnworth was rested in Round 27 but appeared 12 times in the position for the Warriors in 2022 before featuring also at centre for the Māori All Stars in February. Exciting rookie Deine Mariner looks set to ignite some healthy competition for the position after starring in four appearances on the wing last season. If handed first opportunity in the position, Arthars will need to be firing with Mariner expected to work hard to earn a spot on the side after his impressive performances for the Broncos last year.   Source: NRL.com

During the month of December, Trukai Industries donated 4200kg of rice during its charity drive to hospitals, correctional establishments and non-government organizations. Under its Tru Care Brand, the purpose of this donation drive was to give back to members of the community who were unable to be a part of the Christmas festivities. This program has been an annual activity that Trukai Industries had been carrying out for 8 years. The company donated 1.3 tonnes of Trukai Rice to 13 Correctional Service establishments nationwide with Trukai Industries staff visiting the Buimo and Bomana female detainees. The female detainees were given care items consisting of towels, blankets, sanitary pads and soaps while plush toys were presented to their babies. Bomana Correctional Service Female Division’s Sergeant, Sarah Tamoko was grateful for the visit thanking the company for bringing the spirit of Christmas to the female inmates. “Thank you to Trukai for remembering our sisters serving time here." " Even though their families are celebrating Christmas without them, Trukai has brought the joy of Christmas to us here at the female division of Bomana.” While Buimo Correctional Services’ Senior Inspector, Elias Tulo, expressed the same sentiments. “This is one of firsts for Trukai to visit us here at Buimo’s Female Division and it is nothing short of a blessing to receive these gifts." "Many of our females here hardly have their families visit and we thank Trukai for opening their hearts to us and for remembering our women this festive season,” said Senior Inspector Tulo. Correctional Service Commissioner Stephen Pokanis was grateful for the support stating that itwas not the first time for them to receive such a generous support from Trukai Industries. “Similar donations of rice were done some years back, and including 2022 to some of our Correctional Institutions. On behalf of all my Officers, our families and on behalf of all our Detainees and their families throughout Papua New Guinea, we thank Trukai Industries for your kind and generous support to our Detainees in all our Correctional Institutions.” Trukai Industries also donated a total of 900 kilograms rice to main hospitals across the country. These included Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH), ANGAU Memorial Hospital, Mt Hagen General Hospital, Goroka Base Hospital and Nonga Base Hospital. Trukai Industries’ staff also visited the children’s wards at PMGH and ANGAU Memorial Hospital where both patient and caregiver were given Christmas gifts. Trukai Industries’ CEO Alan Preston said, “Since this is the season for giving, we would like to extend this kind gesture to give back to members of the community who have been forgotten by their families or are less fortunate to participate in the festivities of this season." “We would like to extend our gratitude to our partners who had assisted in making our December Charity Drive a success and to the establishments that were willing to have us visit during this time,” said Preston. Trukai Industries also donated two tonnes of rice to the 12 charities it supports each month with rice donations. These include City Missions in Port Moresby, Lae and Madang, Links of Hope in Port Moresby and Mt Hagen, Lae Cancer Foundation, Welkam na Bel Isi Centre, St John Ambulance, Life PNG Care, Cheshire Disability Services, Samaritan Aviation and Mt Sion Centre for the Blind.

Students nationwide will by now know if they have made it to a Higher Education Institution (HEI) after the launch of the 7th National Online Selections by the Department of Higher Education Research Science and Technology (DHERST) was launched yesterday. Out of the 29, 742 students who sat for the Grade 12 National Examinations this year, only 10, 007 grade 12 students have been selected to enter tertiary level for the 2024 academic year. According to DHERST Acting Secretary Fr Jan Czuba, since the development of the national online selections system in 2017 and the online Application in 2018, more than 4, 000 good applications were always missed during the time of manual selections. But with the online selections, applicants will be selected properly. He said that students and parents can have easy access to this information by simply using their mobile phones and internet access instead of waiting for the selectors to print and put out the list of students who passed. “The power of digitalization is tremendous.” “We overlooked the public’s opinion about not many people having access to mobile phones and the internet which but that was wrong.” “Many young people have phones that have access to the internet.” He also stated that, before the systems were launched, the department had to pay thousands of kina to fly selectors from various institutions just to select students by going through all the forms and stressed that that was a lot of work both financially and physically. Now a days, students are given the upper hand by having 5 choices to choose which institution they wanted to study at via the application and the programs they want to take. Fr Czuba further stated that, they will develop additional modules which will have information of students in grade 11 will already have a file on the system once they reach grade 12. “We will also make sure that, the system or modules were developing will incorporate virtual classrooms with additional links like Zoom, create a one-in-Cloud Library which will contain all teaching and learning resources to support our universities and specialized college.”

Lots of smiles and happy faces were seen at the Port Moresby General Hospital Labour ward and Paediatric ward as the staff of Nasfund visited the mothers and children to spread the joy of Christmas by donating more than 100 gift bags to them. Each gift bag for the mothers contained sanitary pads, skin-care products, baby blankets, diapers, wipes, and napkins whilst the children’s pack contained colouring books and pencils, including toys and snacks. The team also presented cakes and gift bags to the nurses on duty whilst second-hand bales of clothes were passed on to the Friends of POMGEN to coordinate the distribution at a later time this year. The Operations and Communications Lead for the Friends of POMGEN, Ms. Grace Roland who was on the ground to coordinate the team’s visit stated that the Friends of POMGEN works in collaboration with the Board and Management of the Port Moresby General Hospital to sustain the hospital with other operational needs and the support of corporate organizations like Nasfund was greatly appreciated. Talent & Culture General Manager Vincent Lialu said that this initiative was part of the Fund’s annual Christmas gesture and social responsibility program to spread love and joy by visiting hospitals or shelters during the festive season. ‘We have been visiting the Port Moresby General Hospital since 2018 and we are happy to be visiting again this year as this is the biggest donation made by the Nasfund team compared to the previous years hence we thanked all staff including the Nasfund Board and management for supporting this worthy cause.’’ General Manager for Member Employer Services (MES), Anne Wilson also expressed that the visit was timely as Christmas is a time for giving and sharing.