UNRE helps to fulfill a childhood dream
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| Marzena Ann Marinjembi |
Speaking on Radio East New Britain’s Government
Talk Show recently, the lass from East Sepik and New Ireland, said it was her
childhood dream to become a marine conservationist.
She said this came about after seeing her relatives
use fishing methods that disturbed the marine environment. Methods like dynamite
fishing and poison plants that not only affected marine biodiversity but it
also limited resources in the ocean or sea.
Her dream kept her focused on her studies as she
progressed through different levels of education. At Grade 11 and 12 she still
had no idea which university she would apply to, to pursue her interest. It
wasn’t until she was preparing to fill her School Leavers Form (SLF) that she came
across PNG UNRE and saw the Fisheries and Marine Resource Program. Without any
reservation, she put it down as her first choice. Wanting to make sure, the
University knew how keen she was, Marzena also wrote a letter to the University
expressing how much she wanted to get into the program.
“I have no regrets with the choice I made in 2015
because what I’m learning here is more valuable and it is all about sustaining
the natural resources we have.”
She said students in the Fisheries and Marine
Resource Program at UNRE are well equipped with knowledge and skills that
prepares them to perform in the workplace. Skills such as snorkelling, boat
skipping, using a thermometer to test water temperature, emergency skills and
many more.
“We learn theory in class and apply that in our
field trips and practicals,” she said.
Marzena is looking forward to graduating next year
and joining a conservation organization to protect the marine environment not
just in her two provinces but in the country as a whole.
“As the country develops, we need specialists who
can protect the large stock of marine resources we have. We need biologists,
conservationists, oceanography and marine scientists who will ensure that marine
resources are harvested in a sustainable manner,” she said.
She also encouraged female students to apply to
UNRE.
“My stay here at the university has been enjoyable
and safe. The local community is very friendly and being female this is
important. I would say that for female students, UNRE is the safest
university to study at even though there is no fence around the campus,” she
said.
PNG
UNRE’s Fisheries and Marine Resources department offers four courses, aimed at
ensuring PNG produces graduates with the skills and knowledge required to help
lead and manage the country’s fisheries industry sustainably, and carry out
research designed to address the problems faced by this modern fisheries
industry.
The courses are PNG’s only fully integrated
courses of study for students wishing to prepare themselves for a wide range of
careers, within both the public and private sectors of the fisheries industry
in PNG and the South Pacific Region.
These include professional and technical
positions in the areas of biological, environmental and economics research,
fisheries regulation and management, environmental and resource conservation,
aquaculture research, fish farming, fishing gear technology, seafood technology
and marketing. Students gain an overall appreciation of all aspects of
fisheries research, development and management.
