Sustainable Development Goals
The Project
This project aims to strengthen governance, leadership, and fiscal management across diocesan education institutions to ensure schools operate efficiently, ethically, and in alignment with both government education policies and their own mission, vision, and strategic goals. The volunteer will play a central role in improving overall administrative systems by fostering a positive and inclusive school culture. The role also includes ensuring compliance with school policies, government regulations, and safeguarding standards, while enhancing monitoring, evaluation, and monthly appraisal systems to promote continuous improvement. In addition to leadership strengthening, the project focuses on building robust financial and resource management practices. These efforts will contribute to improved governance, accountability structures, and stronger institutional stewardship. Strengthened governance at leadership level will positively influence the entire education system from primary through technical education.
A key component of the project is capacity building. The volunteer will collaborate closely with selected local personnel to strengthen leadership capacity among school heads, principals, and TVET managers. Through close supervision, structured monthly appraisal, and targeted mentoring, institutional leaders will develop sustainable management practices. The volunteer will also support the implementation of government education policies and help establish clear governance frameworks and operational manuals. Beyond these leaders, the broader beneficiaries include priests, religious personnel, school employees, diocesan agencies such as Education and Health, and other commissions within the Diocese.
A local employee can sustainably take over this role in the long term. Following the volunteer’s term, trained financial officers, treasurers, and school leaders will be able to independently manage their responsibilities using the systems, tools, and skills developed during the placement. The governance frameworks and operational manuals created will continue to guide institutional practice.
The Location
Papua New Guinea is one of Australia’s nearest neighbours and the poorest country in our region and Kundiawa is the capital of Simbu (Chimbu) Province in the central Highlands of Papua New Guinea. It is a small but significant administrative and commercial hub, known for its rugged mountain landscapes, strong cultural traditions, and reliance on subsistence and small‑scale agriculture. Life in Kundiawa blends traditional village culture with the administrative functions of a provincial capital. Most people live in rural hamlets and come into town for work, trade, education, or transport.
The Challenge
The Diocese of Kundiawa manages and implements several services including health and education. These institutions face ongoing challenges in ensuring strong governance and effective administration across schools. While government education policies provide a clear framework for quality and accountability, many institutions lack the capacity to translate these policies into consistent practice. Current gaps include limited strategic planning skills, inconsistent supervision and performance appraisal systems, and insufficient accountability and transparency in administrative processes. Additionally, many school leaders require further development in management, governance, and policy implementation.
These challenges hinder schools from fully aligning their operations with both government requirements and their own mission, vision, and strategic goals. To address this, the volunteer will play a key role in strengthening administrative systems, improving governance structures, and building leadership capacity among school heads and managers. By supporting policy implementation, enhancing monitoring and evaluation processes, and establishing structured monthly appraisal mechanisms, the volunteer will help institutional leaders develop sustainable, ethical, and effective management practices.
About You
Palms participants for this placement will need to demonstrate the following qualifications, skills, and attributes:
- Minimum of 5-10 or more years’ experience in the field of education
- Proven experience in school leadership or institutional management
- Strong knowledge of education policy and governance systems
- Demonstrated capacity in resource management
- Ability to supervise staff and oversee school operations
- Training expertise across design, delivery, implementation, and assessment
- Integrity, professionalism, and ethical judgment
- Adaptability and resilience
- Cultural sensitivity and the ability to work in diverse environments
- Strong relationship‑building skills
- Capacity to manage budgets, resources, and operational system
- Effective communication skills
- A commitment to teamwork, coaching, and mentoring others.
- The ability to cope with cultural isolation and different living standards
- Commitment to serve in Kundiawa for a minimum of 12 months and up to three years, working with limited resources and facilities
- Willingness to engage their Australian community in promoting the work of the host organisation and their role.
How You Will Help
First you must be willing to learn from the local community.
Over the first several weeks you are asked not to change anything or suggest a change to operations. During that period you will take the time to learn language and cultural mores from a local counterpart willing to mentor you. You will also start a register of the strengths of the current personnel and the assets in the community/country that might be used to achieve the goals of the assignment.
You need to commit to clarifying why things are done the way they are rather than presuming from your own cultural lens to outline what is missing. So, you need to ask questions to enable you to learn from your hosts, rather than in ignorance make suggestions about how things can improve. Palms training will prepare you for this approach.
From then onward, your responsibilities are to:
- Provide day‑to‑day leadership that supports a positive, inclusive school culture
- Implement the school’s mission, vision, and strategic goals
- Lead staff meetings, planning sessions, and professional development
- Ensure compliance with school policies, government regulations, and safeguarding standards
- Enhance monitoring, evaluation, and monthly appraisal systems
- Assist with budgeting, financial planning, and resource allocation
- Monitor expenditures and ensure responsible use of funds
- Oversee procurement of materials, equipment, and supplies
- Manage grants, donations, or external funding where applicable
- Document the progress and impact of mentorship program by collecting evidence from individual performances and stories of change from the mentees.