For the first time, Good to Great Schools Australia (GGSA) is joining forces with an international agency to uplift educational outcomes overseas. This groundbreaking partnership involves GGSA, the PNG National Department of Education, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and is focused on delivering training and support to senior officers and staff from various provinces within Papua New Guinea’s education system.

The Partnerships for Improving Education program is designed to improve the quality of education for children in remote Papua New Guinea (PNG) communities through emphasising the impact of policy changes on school performance.

Good to Great Schools Australia’s Director Remote and Regional Schools Peter Chandler said community engagement and leadership to improve school attendance will also be a strong focus of the program.

“The program includes preparatory sessions, coaching, and school tours, emphasising the effects of policy changes on school performance, as well as the importance of community engagement and leadership to attendance and educational outcomes,” said Mr Chandler.

“Additionally, it encourages innovative approaches for engaging both students and teachers, as well as tried and true methods that have worked in remote communities across remote northern Australia,” he continued.

Mr Chandler said GGSA has already delivered a series of master classes that were met with enthusiastic approval from the PNG delegates.

“We received overwhelmingly positive feedback, indicating that the content was well-received and understood,” said Mr Chandler.

“Despite the challenges, participants showed a strong desire to use the information to make local improvements, including better data analysis,” he continued.

For a week in June, GGSA hosted a delegation from PNG, with visits to the Hope Vale and Coen campuses of the Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA). This was followed by a two-and-a-half-day seminar in Brisbane featuring presentations from senior officers in Queensland’s education sector, including Philip Brooks, Deputy Director-General of the Queensland Department of Youth Justice. The program will culminate in a reciprocal visit to PNG later in July, which includes tours of several provincial regions and schools.

Mr Chandler said the PNG delegation were inspired by what they observed at CYAAA.

“They loved it, and they learned a lot, they particularly enjoyed listening to Philip Brooks talk about the changes being made to Indigenous children’s engagement and learning in schools in Queensland, the important role that culture and sport plays and the focus on high expectations,” said Mr Chandler.

Mr Chandler said he expects the partnership to create a lasting platform for learning amongst PNG and Indigenous leaders and changemakers.

“The goal of this shared learning experience is to identify best practice, successes, and innovations for improving early grade participation in education and community mobilisation to improve student outcomes,” he said.

Through this collaboration, GGSA aims to make a lasting impact on education in Papua New Guinea, fostering a brighter future for its students.