Universal Basic Education Research Program
Program Leader
Dr. Kilala Devette-Chee is a Senior Research Fellow and Program Leader of the Universal Basic Education Research Program at the Papua New Guinea National Research Institute in Port Moresby (PNG NRI). She holds a PhD in Educational Linguistics and Masters in English Language teaching from the University of Canberra and Post Graduate Diplomas in Linguistics & Applied Linguistics from the Australian National University. She also has a Certificate in Knowledge Co-Creation Programs on Capacity Development for the Analyses of Education, Policy Making and its Effects from the University of Hiroshima, Japan and Chiang Mai University in Thailand.
Dr Devette-Chee has worked extensively in Papua New Guinea’s Education System specifically in Secondary and National High Schools, Teacher Education; Primary Teachers’ Training Colleges, and Universities in Australia and the University of Papua New Guinea’s Linguistics and Modern Languages Strand where she worked for 13 years.
Her interest is in the fight and advocacy for quality education which is the foundation to creating sustainable development. Her vast experience in education has enabled her to be part of the Global Network of Partners in Education where she is the South Pacific Female Representative in the Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education’s (ASPBAE) Executive Council and is the Vice Chair of the PNG Education Advocacy Network that advocates for action towards inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong learning for all. In addition to the different roles she plays in education, Dr. Devette-Chee is an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Examiner in PNG and Australia for over 15 years while attached to IELTS IDP Australia’s Brisbane Testing Centre.