In 2019, Helen was a mother of three children (11, six and three years old), pregnant with her fourth, and studying to upgrade her Grade 10 qualification. Witnessing the shortage of teachers in her village and class overcrowding, Helen aspires to become a teacher to ensure children have access to learning. She wants to be part of the solution to end chronic teacher shortages in her village and across PNG. Such was Helen’s commitment to her education and teaching dream, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy on the weekend and went straight to Balimo College to sit her Grade 10 examinations on the Monday.
Helen lives in Kaniya village, a six-hour dinghy ride from Balimo and would not be able to study to fulfil her teaching dream if not for the support of her husband, extended family, the team at Balimo College and the flexible nature of the FODE course programming.
During the two weeks of term Helen attended classes, she boarded with her sister who lives within walking distance to the College; her youngest son was cared for by relatives living adjacent. At home in Kaniya, her very supportive husband cared for their three elder children. Committed to helping Helen to complete Grade 12 to pursue her teaching qualifications, he works a range of carpentry and mechanical jobs to cover any costs associated with her tuition and dinghy fares to and from Balimo.
Helen has enjoyed her second chance at matriculating, having previously studied Grade 10 in 2004. At the time, she struggled understanding lesson content and lacked the material and teaching support to successfully complete her study. In stark contrast, under the FODE program she has the time and resources to diligently apply herself to her studies, including all course content at her fingertips electronically on a tablet. She finds the teachers and staff at Balimo College very supportive and accommodating to student needs, especially mothers with young babies.
Moving to Grade 11, Helen found the course content she learned in 2019 prepared her well for the 2020 year and beyond. Study routine and commitment paid off for Helen. She sat her Grade 12 exams at the end of 2021, achieving a GPA of 2.8. Based on her results, Helen was honoured with the offer of a place at the Balimo Teachers College in its inaugural year. Helen will be proudly studying her Diploma of Primary Teaching in 2022.
" I would like to teach in my province. Going into the teachers college, it is going to be a new thing. It's the first of its kind for us to have a teacher college here in Balimo. It is really exciting for me, and my family is very happy that I am going into the new teaches college and they are supporting me. I am very thankful to KTF for helping me with providing all I need for my studies. I am very grateful." – Helen Mowagi
