Children of the Andai tribe attend the single-room Lutheran school in Kaiam village in the remote East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. (file image) Photo: AFP PHOTO/Torsten BLACKWOOD
A researcher in Papua New Guinea says the government has to urgently rethink how education is provided in the country.
Hafford Norea of the National Research Institute (NRI) wants to see a move away from top-down decision making and for school and community leaders a stronger role.
His research is based on a study in East Sepik and Morobe provinces, where nearly 200 teachers and more than 1300 students were interviewed.
The study found, according to the Post-Courier, overcrowded classrooms, limited infrastructure, long travel distances for rural student, and unsafe facilities for female students, especially inadequate toilets.
Norea said these conditions undermine both the quality and relevance of education.
Most who took part in the research praised the Tuition Free Fee scheme but said, while it increased enrolment, the quality of learning suffered.
School in East New Britain, PNG. Photo: RNZI / Johnny Blades
He urged government to decentralise education policies, strengthen accountability in TFF funds, and involve parents, churches, and communities in decisionmaking.
He further stressed the importance of incorporating indigenous knowledge into the national curriculum to make learning more meaningful.
"The missing link is collaboration," Norea said.
"If we continue to impose policies from the top without listening to schools and communities, we will keep building access but losing quality; and that is a cost our children cannot afford."
Marape: 'Time to act is now'
In March, Prime Minister James Marape said he was committed to transforming PNG's education system.
He told the participants at a national education forum that: "Education must remain our priority because an unskilled population leads to restlessness, lawlessness, and missed opportunities."
He warned that PNG does not want "betel-nut-chewing... dreadlocked teachers", but "good-quality, well-presented teachers who uphold the highest standards of discipline", and said that his government was willing to pay teachers top salaries to ensure that.
"We don't have 50 years to fix our education system. The time to act is now. If we fail today, we will lose our country to an unskilled and restless population in the next two generations."
