“Mummy I want to wash, Mummy I’m hungry,” this is what five year old Kenneth Daron from Eastern Highlands tells his mother every day before attending his class at the Six Mile Buk Bilong Pikinini (BbP) Library.
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| Kenneth at the Six Mile BbP Library |
His mother waits for him to attend his class daily from 10am to 12pm before she takes him home.
Anna (Kenneth’s mother) says in his early days at home, “em no save kolim ol words gud tasol em save harim tok na biket sampela taim, nau em save toktok gud na spik inglis broken wan (he does not pronounce words clearly, he listens but sometimes disobeys us. Now, he pronounces words clearly in Pidgin and speaks Pidgin English).”
“When his name is called, he answers, yes mummy bai mi wokim (yes mummy I will help),” she said.
Kenneth told his mum that he learnt it from his teacher in school to be obedient.
He sometimes tells his mum, “mitupela speakim tokples blong whiteman (we speak white man’s language).”
Anna said Kenneth used to write his letters opposite like small letter b for small letter p, but now he identifies the difference and writes correctly.
“Mi hamamas olsem em lainim samting (I’m impressed he is learning something),” she said.
She adds that the Buk Bilong Pikinini staff are very hard working resulting in Kenneth learning how to read, write and also his manners at home have improved a lot.
Anna had her elder son at Buk Bilong Pikinini in 2014 and in 2015 he enrolled into Ward Strip Primary school.
“Em wokim gud long skul blong em na mi na papa blong em save hamamas long olgeta pikinini blong mitupela bikos ol i wokim gud (He’s doing great in school and his dad and I are happy of our children’s progress),” she said.
Most parents of children who attend the Buk Bilong Pikinini Library say, compared to public schools, Buk Bilong Pikinini teachers are super with their skills, teaching styles and techniques.
The Buk Bilong Pikinini Library has been a success since its establishment with 15 centers, 10 in Port Moresby, 2 in Goroka, and 1 each in Manus, Alotau and Lae with the ultimate goal to provide early child hood care and education services to communities.
The Buk Bilong Pikinini Library targets 3-5 year old children to prepare them for formal education. It also receives primary school children in the afternoons for phonics classes and reading.
The Buk Bilong Pikinini Library is funded by the Australian Government through the Strongim Pipol Strongim Nesen Program at a total cost of K1,491,746 from 2015 to 2016.
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