The Secretary for Education, Dr. Uke Kombra addressed the participants at the 33rd Senior Education Officers’ Conference in Vanimo recently extended his gratitude to the Marape/Rosso Government for a number of significant milestones that the Department of Education has made since 2019.
He stated that this achievements in the last five years include the Government Tuition Fee Policy, Early Childhood Education, the change of the curriculum from Outcome-Based Curriculum (OBC) to Standard-Based Curriculum (SBC), National Schools of Excellence, reform and expansion of the FODE Sector, and the 1-6-6 School Restructure
Dr. Kombra said: “As we approach 2025, we are looking at re-strategizing on the implementation of these policies and initiatives as we further education.”
In the statement , it revealed that In 2019, the Marape/Rosso Government addressed the need for parents to share the cost of their children’s education; hence calling it the policy Government Tuition Fee Subsidy Policy and funded the Government’s component completely. However, due to the COVID-19 challenges, the Government decided to provide full fees to help parents by paying the full cost of their children’s education.
On top of that the government has further decided to pay the full project fees that parents have always paid. The Government has paid K160 million each year until now. The Government has fully met its commitment without fail and full amounts have been paid since.
The Early Childhood Education Policy that the government approved in 2020 is in its final stages of implementation. The government recognized the importance of setting a strong foundation for children as young as 4 or 5 years old until they complete 13 years of uninterrupted and quality education in order to gain the maximum outcomes for the future.
The Department has started writing the curriculum for early childhood education in close consultation with private providers. ECE teachers will be trained and registration of ECE learning centres will start in 2025. The success of this policy hinges on the collective efforts of local communities and all levels of government.
Research documents convincingly inform us that an investment of $98 in a child yields a $512 return in sustainable improvement in livelihoods such as living longer, having less health issues, reduces teen pregnancy, and crimes amongst others.
The transition from the OBC to SBC is a significant milestone for the Department. We have developed an appropriate curriculum and assessment system to allow learners, supported by relevant and sufficient learning materials, to acquire globally comparable skills and knowledge, certificated when appropriate, required for each to lead a productive and healthy life and contribute meaningfully to national development.
All development, writing and printing have been completed. Comprehensive teacher training programs have been conducted for primary and secondary school sectors and the full implementation of the SBC kicked off in 2020/21.
The implementation of the National Schools of Excellence policy 2020 is another significant milestone for the country. Since 2023, the Department has secured overseas university placings for 43 students and giving them full scholarships in two US universities.
The Department’s initiative to reform and expand the Flexible, Open and Distance (FODE) sector has received high commendation. The enrolment of 80,000 plus students currently and growing, improvements in teacher training and remuneration and the recent announcement by the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST) to include FODE students in the online selections for universities and tertiary institutions starting in 2024 are some of the achievements in the sector so far.
Under the 1-6-6- School Structure, the broad approach is to review the Education Act and the Teaching Services Act. These Acts, together with ongoing budgetary support and the pursuit of organizational and technological development, collectively contribute to the country’s commitment to providing quality education and sustaining a thriving teaching workforce.
The Department is aware that the management of the National Education System has not kept up with the sector’s growth and compounded with students not ready to learn and teachers not ready to teach.
The Department of Education would not have made these milestone achievements if it were not for the financial support of the Marape/Rosso government, development partners and stakeholders.
We believe that PNG is ready to face challenges given the global and local knowledge on what to do and how. The way forward is to increase spending on cost-effective interventions that have been shown to improve student learning over the next five years, 2025 – 2029.
