Minister for Education, Nick Kuman, said skills-based education needs to be developed.
He was addressing the Senior Education Officials’ Conference at 17 Mile outside Port Moresby.
Mr. Kuman said the education sector should provide students with a quality pathway that ensures they also benefit from the resource sector boom experienced in the country.
The Senior Education Officials’ Conference was well attended and it was likely the last address by Mr. Kuman in his capacity as Education Minister.
He wants to see the Government improve on developing skills of students in schools.
“When you allow an exit point, you don’t just throw kids out the window and forget about them. They are Papua New Guineans; one day they will be adults of this country. One day they will have a family and one day they will try to be competitive like everybody else who are educated, who are semi-educated and those who are coming out of the school system,” Kuman said.
Mr. Kuman said the education sector should provide students with a quality pathway, including Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET).
He further said, “When we have the experience of mining boom, oil and gas development in this country. New trades are going to be developed in the next two to three years. We cannot continuously as a government, bring in skilled labour from Philippines and China and India. It’s not doing good to the country because at the end of the day, the money that we use to employ these people…they will take that money and go away.”
Education Secretary, Dr. Uke Kombra, thanked the Minister for achieving a number of milestones for the sector under his leadership.
Chairman Teaching Service Commission, Baran Sori, thanked Mr. Kuman for taking up the recurring teachers’ issues.
Dr Kombra also thanked Mr Kuman for his efforts in seeing to realisation the National Education Plan and the Teaching Service Commission Plan, including a rollout plan. These he said are achievements never had before.
