How education is having an impact on the lives of PNG children

SCHOOLING is a huge part of life and each person wants to have the best chance of succeeding with education.Whether you are in a more accessible place like Port Moresby or Lae, or in one of those remote, lush valleys or mountaintops that we are famous for, the chance to climb to the top of the education tree is like a magnet for most.Almost every individual wants to succeed, and for a youngster of 10, 12 or 16, excelling at school and going onto tertiary education is the objective.Sadly, that is not universal, meaning it does not apply to all.

There are cut-off points at various levels of schooling and many fall by the wayside.To get the best of your opportunity, as a student you need to do your very best and you need the best attention from your teachers.We are reminded of these factors when considering two aspects that could affect our national performance in schools this year and in later years. Firstly, the statement from Education Minister James Marabe urging all school boards and principals to give students and their parents a break by not sending students home over fees at the start of the year.

He has instead urged schools to hold off until the third term of the year before refusing entry to pupils.Secondly, there are reports of hundreds of teachers not getting their contracted fares back to their home province for leave. Education is possibly the biggest and toughest portfolio in the entire Government. There are schools in almost every nook and cranny of our nation. If the teachers are not there all the time, or if their hearts are not in the job because of payroll troubles or unpaid leave fares, the children will suffer.

Similarly, if the pupils are sent home at the start of the year for failure to cough up the fees, they will lose their chance at a full education and a tilt at those opportunities for further education, to university or college level. So in general we applaud the Minister’s urging for some leniency from school authorities when it comes to demanding payment of fees early. Many parents are village subsistence farmers or with limited cash income. So are many living in the towns and cities. PNG schools need both students and teachers to be happy and with their minds on the main game . . . to get a quality education.

Source: Editorial, Post Courier

My advice to all the school children in PNG is that; study hard and score good grades to make your parents and friends who are paying your school fees happy. SAY NO TO SEX AND DRUGS! B.O.L.A in 2009!