Enga Teachers College and Telefomin District signed corporate sponsorship deal for students

Post-Courier, 21 February 2014

At least 10 students from Telifomin in Sandaun Province will undertake primary school teacher training annually at the Enga Teachers College.

This follows a corporate sponsorship arrangement which was entered between Enga Provincial Government and Telifomin MP Solan Mirisim.

ETC principal Michael Homingu said under the arrangement, Mirisim would meet the necessary costs of the student’s study programs including tuition, boarding and lodging, fortnightly allowances and airfares.

Mr Homongu, who described the arrangement as an “extra ordinary” said the MP (Mr Mirisim) had brought the students in person to enroll two weeks ago. “This corporate sponsorship arrangement is an extra-ordinary undertaking as such commitment and initiative by leaders are not popular as far as I understand,” he said. The MP praised the Hon Ipatas for taking human resource development in his province as a top priority for almost 2 decades. Hon

The new Enga Teachers College

Mirisin, who also brought his own children to enroll at the Highlands Lutheran International School (in Enga), said the initiative was aimed at addressing teacher shortage which he said was affecting primary school student enrollment in his electorate. 

“It is part and parcel of my long term human resource development plan to increase student enrollment in my electorate,” he said. Mirisim said he had chosen Enga Teachers College because of the province’s successful human resource development policy under the leadership of Governor Peter Ipatas. Mr Ipatas said the MP had made the right decision to choose ETC to train teachers as his government was willing to work with leaders and organizations that were interested in enrolling students under such arrangements in the tertiary learning institutions in his province.

“Honourable Mirisim has made a right move to bring his students to Enga as my government is willing to assist such initiatives,” he said. The ETC had its second batch of graduation last year with 121 students since its establishment in 2010.
The college is currently enrolling more than 90 per cent of the students from within Enga while its boarding facilities are still under construction. Mr Homingu said the ETC would enroll students from around the country in 2016.