The development of Bilum Books SBC English for Papua New Guinea has taken five intense and exhausting years. Our vision was to produce resources that would enable teachers in PNG to teach their children to read and write. And theyвЂ™re learning to read using Bilum BooksвЂ™!ДЇive years ago, Irene Sawczak, my wife Sara White and myself set up Bilum Books. Children here in this village in Papua New Guinea are learning to read. He was learning to read using a Bilum Books Student Book, supplied by iCARE and ChildFund.

That child in that remote village was getting meaning from print. Not the most arresting sentence in literature, but those words on that page had meaning and relevance for that child. I stood and watched as a student slowly read the line: вЂњWe eat the plants from our garden.вЂќ Having discussed the pictures, the class read the sentences together. He reviewed yesterdayвЂ™s reading and then focussed on the next page, about plants.Д«efore reading, Mr Oa asked questions to prepare the students. The class opened their Student Activity Books, Elementary 1 Book B. Next he turned to вЂReading and comprehensionвЂ™. And, with an eye on the Teacher Guide, he asked questions to test comprehension: The teacher read and re-read the poem, with students repeating each line. He had written the poem Off to Market on butcher paper. Mr Oa began his lesson: a one-hour lesson teaching English. There were about 20 students, a smaller class than most in PNG. The class sang вЂWelcome Mr RayвЂ™ in unison. The teacher, Mr Francis Oa, smiled and introduced me to his students as вЂthe authorвЂ™ of their books: Mr Ray from Bilum Books. I sat at the back of the Elementary 1 class. It is not surprising that most children entering Grade 3 cannot read or write.Д«ut in Vanuamai Elementary School, that is changing. In most elementary schools, children sit on the floor.Д®lementary teachers in PNG have (perhaps) Grade 10-level education, very little training and no resources to teach English which, at best, is their third language. The walls and roof are a mix of tin sheets and bush materials, an open doorway, open window frames, and a knee-high gap between the bottom of the walls and the earth floor. The Elementary School is on top of the hill and is like dozens of other elementary schools that I have stood in, all around Papua New Guinea. It should be closer but for the first hour out of Moresby, the highway is rough and deeply pot-holed. ItвЂ™s in Central Province, about two hours or more from Port Moresby. Vanuamai is a small village of maybe 200 people. The Together for Education Project also encourages the practice of knowledge sharing by teachers among their peers in the education sector, to ensure new teaching methods are adopted more widely, and have long-term benefits. To provide stimulating and relevant learning materials for both teachers and students, which encourage greater class participation and improve literacy and numeracy outcomes and To develop the skills and knowledge of teachers, so that they can adopt child-friendly learning methodologies and build stent engagement To increase parent and caregiver engagement with the school, in order to increase attendance rates and encourage a closer connection between families and teaching staff This is being implemented across 50 schools in rural communities in Central Province.

ICARE donors have been supporting the Together for Education Project since 2017. ICARE is currently funding education programs and projects in Papua New Guinea to ensure young people in remote and rural areas have access to education and high-quality learning environments.

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