Divine Word University (DWU) believes that the need for Christian schools is more critical now than in the past in a world where technology is changing rapidly and bringing on newer challenges to the delivery of education.

The President of DWU, Fr Jan Czuba highlighted this at the National Catholic Education Convention at the University in Madang late last month.
Fr Czuba said the University’s faculty of education is prepared to assist.
“The Faculty of Education sees that the role of Christian education is to blend the best of both worlds: technological progress used wisely by young people with a deep sense of their own spirituality, culture and concern for others,” said Fr Czuba.
He said through the Faculty of Education, DWU offers Christian education that teaches students the importance of social commitments through engagement with the communities in which schools reside.  Fr Czuba said: “From the experience by Church-run schools, we know that the academic success of Christian schools is due to the emphasis on shared values and individual achievement.
“Besides the faith, these values include helping others, respect for others, individual responsibility, and academic discipline.”
Fr Czuba further stated that the church's and DWU’s  responsibility for children's education in the 21st century lies in a reformation of purpose and the creation of a new vision for schools that are consistent with this purpose.
The Vice President of DWU, Br Andrew Simpson also highlighted the break-down in partnership between church education administrators with their government education.
Br Simpson said often the Church education administrators and school headmasters and principals go away frustrated because their government counter-parts simply do not cooperate to ensure the partnership arrangements fruitful.
“Our church education secretaries, Christian education coordinators and principals are the very officers who experience that breakdown of support and experience the frustrations of partnership not being respected,” Br Simpson highlighted.

He said the convention was a good venue to highlight these issues and propose better ways of working in partnership with government.
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