The Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Papua New Guinea, Professor Betty Lovai was part of a four-person panel, discussing the topic of ‘Navigating the Present: Gender Equality in Contemporary PNG’, at the Women in Leadership Retreat in Port Moresby.
Professor Lovai said the main challenge in this conversation is mindset and a change of mindset.
She explained that she took on this challenge personally, as a women leader herself and in her space as a female academic at the University of Papua New Guinea.
“Changing the mindset of people, starts through education.”
“It has to start from home to primary school and up to University.”
She explained that in her role as the Executive Dean of the School of Humanities & Social Sciences, she decided to introduce gender studies.
“Through this program, students can learn about what is gender or gender relationships.”
Professor Lovai said this program has become popular among students.
“I hope that through gender courses offered, the students, the future leaders of this country, are informed about women, women’s issues & gender issues in society.”
She added the objective of the university is to educate the minds of young Papua New Guineans coming through so they can see things differently, all while keeping one’s culture at the centre of the discussion.
“You need to see what is around you and adjust your life to accommodate things that work for the good of the society.”
Professor Lovai rounded off her remarks in the discussion, by saying that today, there are far more females graduating from university than ever before.
“We can’t change culture over night, but we can change the mindset through education.”