An Interview with Meggie Kua Dingi: A Passionate Advocate for Education in PNG

Meggie Kua Dingi has dedicated her life to working with local communities in Papua New Guinea to ensure boys and girls have access to quality and relevant education. She worked with NGOs and international multilateral organisations on education programs before joining Abt Global as the subnational program manager for the Partnerships for Improving Education project.  We had the opportunity to sit down with Meggie to hear about what has shaped her passion for education, gender equality and development in Papua New Guinea and in particular her focus on promoting education for girls.

What is your experience of education in PNG?

I grew up in Simbu in the PNG Highlands as the daughter of parents involved in education. My father was a math and science teacher, and my mother was the school administrative assistant. We moved around a lot as at that time in PNG, teachers were annually posted to different schools as a part of their professional development. My father was a very experienced headmaster and moved to schools that needed to be properly managed and brought to standard. I saw my parents mentor many children and became “dad” and “mom” away from home. We always had a house full of students during holidays, and it was always fun. Many of them went on to have careers and would come back to visit my parents and thank them.

Our life was very fortunate because we went to schools both in towns and in villages. That provided me with early exposure to the difference between the two. In the villages there was a lack of access to basic teaching and learning materials. We sourced our own materials such as clay for moulding shapes, glue from the trees, and sticks to use for counting. In the village, learning was more connected with the community, with parents and students playing a hands-on role in supporting the school. Often during the week, school would be shortened to allow students and parents to help with building projects such as new toilets and drains. If the parents did not show up, the students would be sent home. I remember often being hungry when I attended the village schools.

In the towns, my parents could attend their regular jobs without taking time off to help schools, which were better resourced. The school bus would pick us up, I always had my lunch, and we were never required to do manual labour while at school. Instead, we focussed on learning and playing with friends. After school, we did not have to break firewood or fetch water for the afternoon meal like we were required to in the village.

This experience, especially in the village schools, has in many ways shaped my life and my career. My experience in the village has more than anything enabled me to have empathy that’s guided my contribution towards educational implementation approaches.

What brought you to the field of education?

When I was nine years old, I spent a year living in a village with my Auntie and Uncle, who were leaders in the local church. They were both illiterate, and I remember we were at church and I realised they were singing from memory – and not from the hymn book. This was the moment that changed the course of my life, and I became committed to improving lives through education.

Later after I left university, I studied literacy communications, and the first thing I did when I finished was to go back to the village and teach my Auntie to read and write. It was so rewarding; she can read and write now, and we text all the time. She is rightly very proud of her achievements and an excellent example of the power of education to transform life at any age.