Education in Papua New Guinea

Education in Papua New Guinea is managed through nineteen provinces and two district organisational units. It is tuition-free and attendance is not compulsory. With a literacy rate of 64.2%, Papua New Guinea has the lowest literacy rate in Oceania.

Education in Papua New Guinea
Department of Education
National education budget (2016)
Budget1242.8 million PGK [1]
General details
Primary languagesEnglish, Tok Pisin, Hiri Motu and others
System typePublic, religious, private
Literacy (2015 est)
Total64.2% [2]
Male65.6% [2]
Female62.8% [2]
Enrollment (2014)
Total1,805,000 [3]
Primary1,427,000 [3]
Secondary243,000 (Lower) [3]
136,000 (Upper) [3]
Medical students from the UPNG School of Medicine and Health Science

History

The first school in Papua New Guinea was established in 1873 by English missionaries. Missionaries would continue providing the basis for education, with English and German as primary languages. In 1914, as part of World War I, Australia took control over German New Guinea and English became the sole official language.

The Currie Commission was created in 1964 to investigate the establishment of higher education in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. In 1965 the first university in Papua New Guinea, the University of Papua New Guinea, was established. It was heavily influenced by the Australian education system.[4]

Education in Papua New Guinea has been tuition-free since 2012, as one of the election promises of the People's National Congress.

Provision

Papua New Guinea's history of missionary education has led to a large part of education being provided by religious schools. The Department of Education has estimated that 29% of the country's lower secondary education is operated by churches. 3% is operated by private international schools, while the remainder is funded by the government.

Educational Stages

Papua New Guinea has an A-to-D grading system, with D being a failing grade.

Education[5]
Age Level School Language
7 Introductory Local community school Local languages
8
9 Primary
10
11
12
13 Middle
14
15 Provincial high school Official languages
(English, Tok Pisin, Hiri Motu)
16
17 Secondary Vocational
(duration varies)		 National high school
18
19+ Tertiary University

Universities
See also: List of schools in Papua New Guinea § Universities and tertiary education

There are six universities in Papua New Guinea. These are accredited under the PNG Office of Higher Education and have establishing Acts of Parliament. The six universities and the main campus of each are, in alphabetical order:

Language education

In 2015, Papua New Guinean Sign Language became an official language in PNG. Based on Auslan, it is used in deaf education.

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References
  1. "Papua New Guinea 2017 National Budget" pwc.com. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  2. "The World Factbook" cia.gov. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  3. "Papua New Guinea National Education Profile" Education Policy And Data Center. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  4. Richard Guy, Toshio Kosuge, Rieko Hayakawa (2000). Distance Education in the South Pacific: Nets and Voyages. Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific and Pacific Island Nations Fund, Sasakawa Peace Foundation. p. 115
  5. "Papua New Guinea Education System" classbase.com. Retrieved November 08, 2017.
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