PM announces K11 billion investment in Education
Prime Minister James Marape has announced an investment of K11 billion in the country's education sector over the next 10 years.
This is the second biggest investment by the Marape Government to a single government sector in recent times after Connect PNG's K20 billion.
He said this investment will transform the country's education sector in a big way.
Mr Marape made the announcement last Thursday at the Kinim Government Station on Karkar Island in Madang's Sumkar District.
" I am happy to announce here at Kinim Government Station on Karkar Island that Cabinet has approved an K11 Billion investment for the education sector over the next ten years. We have approved a cabinet paper on Wednesday night that will transform this country forever.
" One of the best in my view being the former education minister in the Somare Government from 2009 to 2011 was designing some good policies to embrace quality education that will be wholesome, holistic and accessible to all children in the country.
" I am privileged that the entire cabinet gave support to a paper that I tasked the education minister to come up with. When we saw that there was a problem in the roll-out of the 1- 6- 6 concept in the six provinces that were trialling the concept, I instructed that the education sector must start recruiting university graduates, make classroom learning a 24 hour activity instead of terminating at 3pm, increase teachers' salaries, as well as pay their overtime.
" Let's not compromise our children's education, let's embrace all our kids into the schoop system.
" Today I want to announce here at Kinim Station and on Karkar Island that through a decision passed by Cabinet, we will now invest over K11 Billion in the next ten years in education to fix classrooms, teachers' houses, increase teachers' salaries, recruit qualified teachers, as well as overhaul the curriculum to capture carpentry, electrical plus other life skills and not just English, Maths, Science and Social Science; from grade 7 to grade 12.
" Cabinet has passed that in the next ten years, there will be no school leavers in grades 8 and 10. All children must continue to complete grade 12.
" Whilst we work on this, those of you under 25, 26 or 27 years old, have left school and are doing nothing in the village, you still have hope in your lives.
" We have opened the door for second chance education through the introduction of the FODE or Flexible Open Distance Education concept when I was the education minister," said the Prime Minister.
Further, he discouraged the young people from getting married too quickly, stating " Marape ino tokim yupla lo marit hariap. Traim rot blo second chance education."
PM Marape also appealed to all districts in Madang Province that have secondary schools to pay their teachers overtime.
He said these schools can become facilities of second chance education
so that the same classrooms, same teachers can teach during the afternoons, nights, weekends and holidays.
This will give the opportunity to those who have left the formal education system to upgrade their grade 9, 10, 11 and 12 marks.
Besides upgrading academically, they can also be taught life skills like SME, agriculture and others.
Mr Marape said that if we do this consistently and patiently overtime; the education sector in the next 10, 15 or 20 years, we will have a better PNG than the current decay that is happening in the country right now.