PNG UNRE to offer five new undergraduate programs
Professor Dan Orcherton.
PNG University of Natural Resources and Environment through the School of Environment and Climate Change will begin offering five new undergraduate programs in 2021.
The five programs are: Degree in Environment and Climate Change; and Advanced Diploma in Environmental Health under the Department of Climate Change, Health and Development; and Degree in Renewable Energy and Environmental Engineering; Advanced Diploma in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation; and Advanced Diploma in Environmental Engineering under the Department of Environmental Engineering.
The School of Environment and Climate Change (SECC) will establish its other two departments – Department of GeoSciences and Geohazards and Department of Environmental Law - and their academic programs in the near future.
For now though, SECC has been marketing its new programs to students in secondary schools in the province.
The first awareness session was conducted at Kerevat National High School on Wednesday by SECC Dean, Professor Dan Orcherton.
Professor Orcherton said although PNG is doing a good job in mitigating and adapting to Climate Change, more work needs to be done to educate future generations of the long term effects of Climate Change.
“The sea level is rising, islands are sinking and the land is changing. Therefore agricultural practices have also changed and these are only a few to mention,” he said.
He said this is why there is a need to train people who will then educate other people.
“We need good professionals in Climate Change in PNG. It is very important. We need to understand Climate Change and to work with people in communities in mitigation and adaptation to Climate Change,” he said.
Professor Orcherton said that is what UNRE through SECC will be doing to train scientists to do research and educate people to adapt to Climate Change.
This is directly in line with its Vision, which is to help increase national, regional and international efforts to deal with climate change, build capacity for local adaptation and mitigation measures in Pacific Island countries (PICs) in order to solve the enormous resource and environmental challenges facing the world now and in the decades ahead.
The Dean said the School hopes to help strengthen learning and knowledge acquisition by both staff and students to develop respectful high calibre research and leadership skill in order to understand the Earth’s environment and the changing climate, especially in this region of the Melanesia and Pacific Islands.
Principal of Kerevat National High School, Raymond Alo thanked Professor Orcherton for his presentation.
Students asked questions after the presentation, mainly about how to get into the new programs.
Entry requirements are, a Grade 12 Higher School Certificate grading of ‘A’ or ‘B’ in Language and Literature; Maths A (or Maths B); Biology; Chemistry; Physics; and one other subject, preferably Geography. Minimum GPA is 2.5. The awareness talks will continue at other schools in the province.
