Key PNG issues 3: Education & training
23 January 2011
BY RICHARD MARLES
Late last year, PNG Attitude asked readers to nominate issues you’d raise if you could speak with Australia’s Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Richard Marles. We’re publishing his responses in four ‘Key PNG Issues’ segments
AUSTRALIA RECOGNISES the importance of education in achieving development outcomes. In 2010-11 Australia's development assistance for basic and secondary education (up to grade 12) in PNG is $55 million.
It focuses on basic education, with support extending to secondary, technical and vocational education and training, higher education and scholarships.
Over the past few years we have seen basic education enrolment rates in PNG increase, from 52.9 per cent in 2007 to 63.6 per cent in 2009; and basic education completion rates increase from 41.5 per cent in 2006 to 56.9 per cent in 2009.
School fees have been abolished for the first three grades of basic education (elementary school) from 2010, and we hope to see all school fees abolished by 2015.
In 2009-10 193 double classrooms, 47 teacher houses and 13 other school buildings, including libraries and toilets, have been constructed. 539,000 textbooks, selected by the PNG Department of Education, have been procured and delivered to all primary and community schools in PNG.
The DCT review recommended support for education remain a key focus, and we agree that this is an important component of Australia’s aid program in PNG.
In July 2009, Australia and PNG commissioned Professor Ross Garnaut and Sir Rabbie Namaliu to review PNG's university system. While most of their recommendations are for the Government of PNG, and relate to sustained funding, leadership and reform, Australia is considering the recommendations in the context of our broader review of the aid program and in the context of our Partnership for Development.
We see scope to increase our support for the higher education sector, including technical and vocational education.
Hon Richard Marles MP is the Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs in the Australian Parliament
PNG Attitude welcomes readers’ comments on the Parliamentary Secretary’s views
A good future initiative. If we properly reform our university system by upgrading all facilities and learning disciplines, we can be eventually turned into a new growth export industry sector.
PNG can export good quality educational programs to other pacific countries who may not be able to afford to send their students to Australian universities to study.
Posted by: Reginald Renagi | 28 February 2011 at 08:33 AM
The full contents of the report by Prof Ross Garnaut and Sir Rabbie Namaliu reviewing the University of apparently has not yet been made available in the public domain.
Those of us within the university sector are keen to know what recommendations were made.
But even without being fully informed of the report's content, we are now being asked to be involved in a scoping study being undertaken by Prof Ingrid Moses. This study, I believe, is emerging from the Garnaut-Namaliu Report.
Posted by: Ludmilla Salonda | 27 February 2011 at 05:48 PM