COMMENTARY - EDUCATION

EDUCATION is the key to a brighter future

Graduating students from the University of PNG

THE Department of Higher Education Science and Technology needs to work closely with the central key agencies to implement and meet the project growth.

The project with growth forecast in enrollment and graduation as specified in the medium term development plan 3, 2018-2022.

The key central agencies, Planning, Treasury and Finance must ensure that appropriate financing options and budgeting processes are in place to achieve the stated reform outcomes.

Recent discussions between DHERST and key central agencies were catalyzed by the DHERST commissioned report on Financing of Higher Education in Papua New Guinea 2011-2019: Trends and Issues, February 2019.

The report provides an excellent starting point for discussion and feedback for developing an appropriately financed Medium Term Higher Education Plan and Budget that supports the implementation of the National Executive Council (NEC) decision 25/2017 for reforming, transforming and unifying Higher Education in PNG.

This will require detailed stakeholder planning processes for sector specific financing, policy, budgeting, evidence-based data to develop a separate Medium Term Higher Education Plan that will successfully deliver on the decisions and directives of NEC 25/2017.

Furthermore, with guidance from the key Central Agency stakeholders, DHERST seeks to identify and influence the parameters for framing a five-year Higher Education Plan and Budget aligned to the transition and reform as well as including the projected enrolment and graduation growth.

A key component of improving the quality of PNG’s Higher Education Institution (HEI) is to streamline the regulatory environment.

Currently, up to nine different departments or agencies have some role in the administration of HEIs. This has led to inefficiencies and makes national policy difficult to implement.

The Higher Education Reform Bill, 2019 will resolve this by providing a mechanism to transfer all HEIs to the oversight of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Technology and DHERST, a core directive of NEC Decision 25/2017.

The Reform Bill will also deliver other quality and governance improvements including:

·    Improved employment terms and conditions for stronger recognition of agency institutions, more effective Governing Councils with links to industry and professional recognition agencies,

·   centralized development of national curriculum and training packages and

·   targeted investments in HEIs delivering national skills priorities both economic and social

The reform bill is currently being considered by various technical working groups and the Public Sector Organisational Reform team (PSORT). It was also discussed in-depth at the recent primary teachers’ colleges Principal’s Conference held in Port Moresby.

Moreover, in 2009, the vision 2050 envisaged an all graduate teaching profession as a priority for the country, the Bachelor of Education (Primary)/ Diploma in Teaching (The national curriculum) program came about as a direct consequence of the 2013 Report of the Task Force for the Review of Outcome Based Education (OBE) in PNG.

The Task Force’s principal recommendation was to replace OBE in schools with a Standard Based Education (SBE) approach to curriculum planning and delivery.

Amongst the many other recommendations however, was the proposal to improve the quality of pre-service primary teacher education by moving from the then two-year diploma in teaching to a three- year diploma which on completion, could be extended by one year and lead to the award of a pre-service Bachelor in Education (Primary) degree. Students wishing to proceed to the fourth year would then be required to have a GPA of 3.2 or better.

Roll-out of the National Curriculum for pre-service primary teacher education

The roll-out of the Bachelor of Education (BEd) and Diploma in Teaching (DipT) program will commence in all primary teacher’s colleges at the beginning of the academic year 2020. Naturally, it will take time for the colleges to up-skill where necessary, the lecturing staff so that they can deliver an undergraduate degree program towards the students.

At of the beginning of 2020, all colleges will implement and deliver the DipT and as and when they are ready, they will introduce the fourth year of the program that will thus enable students to graduate with a BEd degree.

The rationale behind the upgrading of teacher qualifications represents a major governmental priority, clearly expressed in the NEC Decision 25/2017: decision 7.

DHERST is committed to bringing about quality in the higher education sector that will in turn enhance learning and teaching.

Over the next five-years, the primary teachers colleges are aimed at introducing the Bachelor of Education and Diploma in teaching program – the pre-service primary teacher education National Curriculum.

As to when we shall have an all graduate teaching profession we are guided by government policy and the national vision 2050. It will take time and resources to put the structures in place that will enable all primary teachers to become graduates.

This will enhance not only the quality of pre-service teacher education but also to ensure that teaching once more becomes a noble profession of choice and respected alongside other professions in our country.

Graduating students from the PNG University of Technology 50^th Gradation in 2018

Piloting the National Curriculum

The national curriculum has already been piloted in three colleges which are; Holy Trinity, Kabaleo and Kainidi teachers college since 2015 and their first cohorts of Bachelor in Education students graduated in December of 2018.

The colleges have worked in close partnership and made good use of the resources at their disposal.

Program leaders in the colleges have ensured that the first cohorts of their students have been well taught and mentored.

Moreover, innovative approaches to the teaching, for example of English and Mathematics together with an introduction to research methods have established these graduates as future leaders in our primary schools and classrooms.

Their efforts will surely make a vast difference for better, current and future generations of children in our nation’s primary schools.

Universities in PNG

Annually, each university graduate cohort addresses the needs of the labour market, contributes significantly to PNG’s economic prospects and the achievement of national objectives.

In addition, there is also an increase in aggregate Graduation Output from Universities in PNG based on recent 2019 graduations where increasing both the number and quality of our graduates is critical to the social and economic development of PNG.

Young graduates contribute new knowledge and skills for innovating new and existing industries, responsive to national needs and adaptive to global economic shifts and demands for PNG to become economically sustainable and globally competitive.

Our universities are instrumental in developing the human recourse capacity of Papua New Guinea – producing qualified graduates, prepared to enter the workforce with the 21^st Century knowledge and skills in research, science and technology.