Speaking at the Divine Word University's 32^nd Graduation ceremony on Sunday 3^rd March O'Neill said that Churches have contributed significantly to the development of PNG particularly in the areas of Health and Education.

"Where will our country be, without the work of our Churches," he said.

Acknowledging that the government had limitations, the Prime Minister said that the churches were able to provide services to the people mainly in the rural areas.

The Catholic Church along with other Christian Churches runs many Aid posts and Health centres and schools including Divine Word University.

The Chairman of the DWU graduation committee, Mr. Ted Alau, said that over 680 students graduated at the Madang campus.

He added that this is in addition to those who graduated from other institutions that are either amalgamated or affiliated to DWU late last year, bringing the total to 1694 graduates receiving DWU awards.

Graduating with PhD degrees will be high school teacher-turned-teachers college administrator, Stephen Qualum Potek and DWU lecturer in Information Systems, Iwona Kolodziejczyk. Mr Potek, from Manus Province will be graduating under the Faculty of Education while Ms Kolodziejczyk from Poland will do so through the Faculty of Arts.

They join the DWU's pioneer PhD graduates, Dr Bernadette Aihi and Dr Paul Pasingan, who were bestowed their doctorates at the 2011 graduation.

The graduation ceremony will also produce the first graduates from the Master of Professional Accounting (MPA) and Bachelor of Mathematics and Computing Science programs. The MPA which is administered by DWU's Port Moresby Campus will see three students graduate while the Mathematics and Computing Science program will have nine students graduating.

Source

• The Catholic Church in PNG and the SI
• Catholic Church in PNG and SI
• Image Divine Word University

Resident Madang judge Justice David Cannings also said the manner in which the university decided to sack George Podas in August 2008 "stinks".

Cannings, who heads the national and supreme court of PNG's human rights tract, said there were proper, decent and Christian-like ways to tell an employee of his or her sacking.

"The court has so far focussed on the legal issues but every case, especially a wrongful dismissal case, has a human dimension," he said. "I think the university needs reminding of this.

"Wouldn't the decent thing to do is to call him into the office and explain why this decision was being made instead of handing him an envelope while he was in the middle of doing his work, containing a letter, telling him abruptly that he was being sacked immediately?" said Cannings

Divine Word University is a national Catholic university in Papua New Guinea. It is one of the newest tertiary institutions in the country. It was established as a university by an Act of Parliament in 1996. The university is ecumenical and coeducational, and is under the leadership of the Divine Word Missionaries.

Its first educational institution was Divine Word Secondary High School. In 1980, this became Divine Word Institute, established by an Act of Parliament.

It is based in Madang on the north coast of Papua New Guinea.

Divine Word University has six faculties. These are Arts, Business, Education, Health, Theology, and Flexible Learning. The University offers undergraduate degrees as well as Masters programs in most Faculties, and the PhD. Masters and PhD programs can be done on a full time basis or off campus in distance mode by occasional attendance and work completion.

The university is amalgamating and affiliating with a number of institutions to provide a broader base of education. In April 2002, the College of Allied Health Sciences (Madang) amalgamated and St Benedict's Teachers College, East Sepik Province joined in August, 2003. These institutions are now campuses of DWU

Source

• The National
• Wikipedia
• Image: Law Advices and Legal Tips

The study is meant to help inform the Catholic Bishops' Conference of PNG and Solomon Islands about what is happening. Fr Philip Gibbs of Mt Hagen Archdiocese is carrying out the study with the help of students from Divine Word University.

The PMIZ would accommodate up to 10 more canneries, as well as fuel depots, container terminals and other facilities for fishing fleets.

The Madang government says its plans to grow Madang as the focal point of regional fishing will help maximise returns for Pacific countries from the important Western and Central Pacific fishery.

Villagers living near the proposed Pacific Marine Industrial Zone development, the majority of whom are Catholics, raised many issues about the project with the World Bank's Compliance Advisor Ombudsman Vice President Meg Taylor when she visited last month

Issues raised included land issues, increasing social problems such as prostitution and HIV and AIDS threat, the unequal distribution of economic benefits, lack of proper monitoring of foreign vessels and their cargoes, the issue of underwater lease in the village areas and social and environment impact studies.

The villagers said the project site has already become a high risk area for HIV and AIDS because of the ‘sex for fish' trade that is currently going on.

Source

• Island Business
• Radio New Zealand International

Image:Pacific Scoop