STORY & PICTURES BY NADIA.MARAI

Mary Toru Yano from Uritai Village in the Gulf province completed her lower Secondary Education at Gordons Secondary in 1997. After completing grade 10 Mary went on to complete basic secretarial studies at Port Moresby Business College in 1998.

She was then recruited by the Constitutional Development Commission (Now Constitutional Law Reform Commission) as a Personal Assistant till 1999. From 2002-2003 she was doing data entry for MVIL after 5 years of being at home with her family. In 2008 she was recruited as an Administrative Assistant for the office of the member for Imbonggu, Southern Highlands till 2009.

Mary then joined the Public Services Commission on the 12th of August 2012 as the Administrative Assistant to Director of Legal. In December 2012, Mary was appointed as the Acting Senior Administrative Assistant to Commissioner National up to 2014 and she successfully attained that position through her commitment and perseverance.

Mary who is married to Mendi, Southern Highlands with five (5) Children says her biggest motivation was to become a Review Officer or a Human Resource Officer hence she went on to pursue studies while on the job as well. She recently Graduated with a Diploma in Public Administration from the Pacific Institute of Leadership and Governance with financial support from the Public Services Commission.

When asked about the difficulties that she had to overcome to complete her diploma program. This was Mary’s response.

‘’MY FAMILY –My responsibilities as a wife and a mother were disrupted because I had to attend classes after work from 4 pm – 7 pm.’’

‘’OFFICIAL DUTIES – The workload in NRD is too much. Apart from performing my secretarial duties as a Senior PA to the Commissioner (National), I also attend oral hearings and do transcribe. During the course of my studies, I was also overseeing the Office of the Director (NRD) which was another added task.’’

‘’ DOING ASSIGNMENT – it was tiring for me personally because I scheduled my lunch hour and 3 o’clock in the afternoon to do my assignment and I get home around 8 pm by then I am all worn out and I try to sit up in the middle of the night.”

‘’These were the 3 main challenges for me and I almost withdrew but on the other hand, I was also mindful that I needed this paper to climb another step higher.’’

Mary’s achievement speaks volumes of how working mothers are able to handle work and family commitments while furthering their education at the same time. An advice she gives to all in a similar situation is ‘’All knowledge and understanding comes from our maker – The Almighty. If I can make it you can make it too.’’

Mrs. Yano is now equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge and looks forward to implementing the skills and knowledge gained in her line of duty.

Some of the skills that she has gained are better Communication and Writing Skills – With the skills and knowledge that she has acquired Mary says she is now able to confidently attend to clients/aggrieved officers disseminating the right information for their personal consumption as well as effectively communicating with the Members of the Commission and the PSC Secretariat as a whole in line with her duties as a Personal Assistant.

‘’First and foremost I’d like to thank my sponsor and my employer, Public Services Commission for giving me this great opportunity to further my knowledge and skills so that I can serve the Commission better. I’d also like to thank my family for their support in terms of allowing me to attend classes after hours. You know as a mother/wife you have a responsibility toward your family however knowing very well that I needed this paper they have supported me all the way through. I’d also like to thank my friends/colleagues for their support in so many ways as well encouraging me to keep on going. I appreciate you all very much. You know who you are’’.

The Public Services Commission commended Mrs. Yano for her determination and perseverance in attaining a diploma in Public Administration in order to serve the Commission well.

PSC continues to invest in up-skilling and enhancing the competencies of its human resource to achieve its goal as outlined in the PSC Corporate Plan 2019 – 2023 which is further streamlined through the PSC Training and Development Policy 2020 – 2023 that is aimed at providing relevant training for staff of the Public Services Commission.