Sharing Christ
Making Disciples
Meeting Spiritual needs
Adult Literacy Evangelism
in the Name of Jesus!

WHERE IS PAPUA NEW GUINEA (PNG)?

WESTERN PACIFIC
Papua New Guinea is a large land area including the eastern half of New Guinea, an island country, that lies in the south-western Pacific with many small offshore islands. Its neighbors include Indonesia to the west, Australia to the south and Solomon Islands to the south-east. It is a large population of over four million people representing hundreds of different ethnic and tribal groups. Since 1997, the Papua New Guinea government is a constitutional parliamentary-democracy.

THE KONSTANTINIK FAMILY

Promised Land Ministry is in Yonki, Papua New Guinea located in the Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. It is approximately 9,299 miles from Jacksonville, Fl. It is run by the Konstantinik family.

The language of instruction in Papua New Guinea is English, although there are 820 indigenous languages spoken.

One of those indigenous languages is Tok Pisin. “Bird Talk” or some say Pidgin. “Do you speak Tok Pisin? Yu save long Tok Pisin? Or Toktok long tok inglis?”

Tok Pisin is one of the Pacific pidgins that emerged during the second half of the 19th century on copra (coconut) and sugarcane plantations. It is one of the three official languages of Papua New Guinea, along with English and Hiri Motu. Hiri Motu, pidgin variety of vernacular Motu, an Austronesian language originally spoken in the area surrounding Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea.

LITERACY IN PNG

PNG literacy rate for 2021 was 45.3%. Accordingly, 35.74% of the population (about 2,191,476) adults are illiterate. 64.26% of adult population (aged 15 years and above) in Papua New Guinea can read and write. Source: The estimation data for “Papua New Guinea population literacy” is based on the latest data published by UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

What is Basic Education in PNG?

In PNG, Universal Basic Education (UBE) is defined as including elementary and primary education. To complete a full cycle of basic education, children must complete a full nine years of schooling, which comprises three years of elementary and six years of primary education.

What is the School Life expectancy in Papua New Guinea? 95 out of 100 children born in Papua New Guinea survive to age 5.

Expected Years of School–In Papua New Guinea, a child who starts school at age 4 can expect to complete 10.3 years of school by the 18th birthday.

Primary Education
Grades 3 – Grade 8
It caters for the nine-to-fourteen-year age group.
Lower primary education comprises Grades 3 to 5
Upper primary Grades 6 to 8.

Secondary Education:
There are two levels of secondary education.
Lower Secondary Level consists of grades 9 & 10
Upper Secondary consists of grades 11 & 12.

Promise Land Ministry Biblical & Educational Outreach

The Biblical & educational outreach of Promise Land begin in 2018 with an adult literacy program and a kindergarten. They came! From all over the valley! Some would wake up at 3 am and walk (no road access to the villages) to get to school in time for 8 am class. The GOAL for the school is to lay the Biblical foundation as well as basic academics before they hit the public school system.

In 2018 the enrollment was 50 students. The textbook used was and remains the Bible. They divided the students into 3 levels. Level one / zero – no reading skills, followed by grade 1 and grade 2 where students were able to speak English.

The students who were enrolled in the literacy class consisted of school dropouts, wanting to reentry school. There were seven volunteer teachers- full time, 5 days a week and worked without receiving any pay.

Some of the “zero” level continued in Biblical education, successfully graduated Bible school and now serve as children’s workers in Promise Land Church. One of the “ZERO” level students who was a drug addict got saved during the class, graduated, learned how to read and pursued missionary calling!

In 2019 Promised Land’s enrollment grew to 100 students. Promise Land opened its doors to all the tribes and backgrounds, no matter whether they were Christians or not regardless of which tribe they came from. Late 2019, a school building was constructed. This same building is in use today.

In 2020 the school was not only focused on adult literacy but also in providing quality education for kindergarten students. The two schools co-existed in a small building with only 4 classrooms. There were a 100+ noisy 4–6-year-olds and 100+ illiterate non-Christian adults, imagine that?

In November 2020, we graduated our last adult literacy class. Because of a lack of teachers to meet the needs of the adult students, this portion of the ministry had to close. Promise Land school continues only with a kindergarten that is currently running with just above 100 kids.

PROJECTED 2025

Future plans are to re-open the adult literacy school, with a volunteer missionary teacher to teach English and basic math classes. The ministry wishes to encourage the former volunteer teachers to return for zero and first level classes. With the guidance of the lead teacher, it is hoped to equip them to replicate classes in their own villages.

BEYOND 2025

With God’s direction and blessings, instead of sending the kids to the public system, Promise Land will be able to continue the Biblical academic education using Paced system curriculum.