Hagen Park Secondary School in Western Highlands Province has been facing overcrowding in classrooms this year.
School Principal, Tony Buldung, said the school will put tough measures on transferee students starting next year.
He made this remarks after seeing students with lower grades flooding into Hagen Park Secondary through what he described as ‘backdoor deals’.
His statement was supported by the Guidance Officer from Western Highlands Province Education Division, Christine Goimba.
Hagen Park Secondary is a level 10 School and is situated in the heart of Mt Hagen City. It has a very small landmass and few specialized buildings.
However, the school is overpopulated with more than 2,500 students and only 53 teachers to supervise them. One class has at least 70 to 100 students.
The principal told parents, guardians and board members at the 12th Grade 12 Graduation, that such a high number of students in a classroom would not be allowed.
A committee will be created to screen transferees who want to do Grades 9 and 11, and only those with higher GPAs or grades will be allowed to enroll.
Buldung also said that the school is facing disciplinary issues from students. He blamed this on the high number of students at the school.
Buldung said the Tuition Free Fee policy is another issue parents use to enroll their children even though they are not qualified with their marks.
He added that TFF and subsidies does not reach them on time and this has forced them to cut down on spending, such as infrastructure development, and have only concentrated on students’ academic performances.
The Western Highlands Provincial Education Division Guidance Officer, Christine Goimba, supported Buldung and said that selection of all transferee students will come from her office.
Goimba encouraged those who might not secure a space next year to use other means to upgrade their marks before they can be eligible to continue their studies.
This year, Hagen Park graduated 406 Grade 12 students.
With the limited space available at tertiary level, students were encouraged to apply to training centers or colleges to further their studies.
