A CANADIAN volunteer organisation working in Papua New Guinea has described the government’s aim to provide free education up to year ten as “ambitious”.

The O’Neill government’s first budget has given its biggest single allocation to education, offering K305 million to the sector.

The education program manager for Canadian University Service Overseas in PNG, Richard Jones, says it’s great news that the spend on education has increased over recent years, but he believes the scope of the government’s aim is to broad.

“We would like the government to focus on the lower primary grades first, as per their universal basic education plan,” he said.

“Mostly to ensure there is enough teachers and classrooms for the children that are coming into school”.

Richard Jones who says the level the government has agreed to spend needs to be sustained for a number of years.

Source: Radio New Zealand International, 25 September
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=63323