Free education policy to be revised

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, October 6, 2013 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

ACTING Minister for Education James Marape, revealed that the government is to revise its Free Education policy, which will see cash grant allocations being separated to include a commodity component, last week at the launching of the National Research Institute’s latest report on Universal Basic Education in PNG.

He said this was in light of revelations that the cash grants given to some schools have not trickled down to the students in terms of school supplies.

“We will be breaking down the free education component, instead of giving direct cash grants to schools.”

“In some instances school administrations do not adequately support the school with basic kits for learning.”

“We are now breaking it down into a commodity component as well as cash grant,” he said.

Private partners will be selected, who deliver basic kits to assist with student learning, teaching aids, and also the equipping to classrooms with kits to create a conducive learning environment.

The change of the policy could be seen as a means of also addressing the issue of quality educating as increased numbers tend to.

Marape added that since the government was giving the highest budgetary allocating to the education sector, with the paying for school fees- parents were to make sure that their children attended school.

“The government is telling parents and citizens out there, when we are putting free education out there- we cannot afford to see school age kids sitting in the streets of Port Moresby not being in class.”

“We cannot afford to see school age kids being asked by parents to go and sit in markets, to be agents of sales for parents and citizens.”