Posted on October 30, 2018
In late September senior representatives from Divine Word University and the Australian High Commission gathered in Madang to officially launch the university’s new facilities and to recognise the significant achievements of Divine Word University in improving access to higher education in Papua New Guinea.
At the event, Australian High Commission Counsellor for Education and Leadership, Suzanne Edgecombe, said: “This upgrade will house an additional 144 students and as well as senior faculty members and their families, leading to increased human resource capacity, specialised teaching and a higher quality of education for all students.”
Divine Word University currently has 1650 students enrolled, more than half of whom are women. Similarly, women hold more than half of the positions in the university administration including in leadership and executive roles. With the construction of modern, safe and gender-responsive facilities, female students and staff will continue to flourish at Divine Word University.
The project is set to run for two years and will increase access to quality higher education for Papua New Guineans. Australia and Papua New Guinea through the Incentive Fund, are committed to improving social infrastructure as well as the quality of education available for students.
This Incentive Fund grant of more than K7 million is the third delivered to Divine Word University, bringing the total funding for the institution to more than K28 million through the Incentive Fund since 2008.
The Incentive Fund has funded 69 projects across Papua New Guinea since 2000. In its current phase, the program has partnered with high-performing private sector, civil society and faith-based organisations for projects spanning the health, education and agriculture sectors.