Papua New Guinea Must Forge Its Own Future, Urges University Vice-Chancellor

At the 71st University of Papua New Guinea graduation ceremony, Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Findlay delivered a powerful message, urging the nation's newest graduates to seize control of their destiny. His address, delivered to the last cohort from the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, challenged the prevailing notion that Papua New Guinea's future is predetermined by external forces.

Professor Findlay's core message resonated with a call to action: "Papua New Guinea can simply passively accept a future employed by others. Or we can leap and create our own future, a future created, thought and signed." This sentiment underscores a growing desire within PNG for self-determination and the active pursuit of national development driven by its own people.

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Papua New Guinea can simply passively accept a future employed by others. Or we can leap and create our own future, a future created, thought and signed.

The Vice-Chancellor stressed that realizing this ambitious vision hinges on the caliber of the nation's graduates. He called for individuals who are not only academically proficient but also possess strength, health, and dynamism – qualities essential for driving progress and innovation across all sectors.

From a Papua New Guinean perspective, this message is particularly poignant. It speaks directly to the challenges and opportunities facing a developing nation striving to assert its identity on the global stage. While international media might focus on economic indicators or resource extraction, the true measure of PNG's progress lies in the capability and ambition of its human capital. Professor Findlay's address champions this internal drive, reminding graduates that they are the architects of their nation's tomorrow, empowered to build a future that is uniquely theirs.

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But to achieve that vision, PNG need strong, healthy, dynamic graduates to deliver that promise.