Ramcy Pundi is a special young man. He was born with a disability. But he has never allowed his disability to get in the way of his hunger for education.
As the picture shows, the young Engan was one of 32,000 students across the country to sit for the Year 12 written expression exam this year.
While his friends at the Anglim Secondary School in Jiwaka, used their desks to complete their papers, Ramcy was busy writing with his pen firmly gripped between his toes on his right foot.
Ramcy was born without arms but he has a big heart and strong soul in overcoming his disability and turning it into an ability to express himself in life.
He was the odd one in the examination room.
Unlike other students who had their examination papers on their desks, Ramcy had his next to his feet where he could pick up the pen with his toes and attempt the questions.
Ramcy has been doing well. I’ve been assisting him when he was doing his Grade Nine (9) and Ten (10) at Pogera Secondary School in Enga.
However, due to the ongoing tribal fighting, he transferred to Anglimp Secondary in Jiwaka Province where he is currently residing with his relatives to complete his upper secondary.
Rodney Rut, a resource teacher from Callan Services who has been assisting Ramcy
In Pogera Secondary School in Enga Province, half of the Grade 12 students withdrew from the school and did not sit for the Written Expression Examination.
Ten (10) students only, sat for their Written Expression Examination in the school campus while 101 of them did theirs at Kopen Secondary School in Wabag District.
We are allowing the students to do the exams where its convenient for them.
Pogera Secondary School Deputy Principal, Mason Naipe
Meanwhile, in East Sepik, Mr Raymond Bakavi said a total of 2500 students from the Grade 12 schools in ESP joined the rest of the country for their Written Expression Examination yesterday. He said, however, Angoram Secondary School did not have any grade 12s this year to facilitate the examination.
Last year we suspended Angoram Secondary because of continuous harassment, so the grade 12s transferred out. This year, the Angoram Secondary School resumed but with no grade 12s for this year, grade 11 students from last year have repeated the same grade this year.
Mr Bakavi
In Lae, Morobe Province, the Bumayong Secondary School was suspended which saw no grade 12s sitting the national examination. Generally, all the schools in the New Guinea Islands and the Southern region went ahead with their examinations.
This year, 32,206 students from 212 secondary schools including private and permitted schools and 6 Schools of Excellence in the country have nominated to sit for the Grade 12 Written Expression Examination which was rescheduled for Monday, August 15, 2022.