By ALISON ANIS
THE Department of Education made yet another ‘breakthrough’ in the history of education when it launched the country’s first-ever national school census.
The 2007 national school census was declared open by Deputy Secretary for Education Damian Rapese at the launching ceremony at the Gordon Secondary School in Port Moresby yesterday.
As of yesterday and during the next four days, the national school census will run throughout the country.
The school census is an initiative of the Education Department supported by the Australian government through AusAID and Unicef under the education capacity building programme.
“The aim of 2007 national school census is to collect accurate, reliable and timely data to measure the progress of our education system and plan for future education needs,” Mr Rapese said.
He said the idea for school census was first identified in 2005 under the National Education Plan 2005-2014 which highlighted that details of relevant data needed to be collected and reported from all the schools throughout PNG.
Mr Rapese said the 2007 national school census focused on collecting school information, enrolments, finances and teacher information to generate related education indicators.
“By collecting data on education through the national census, we can assess who uses public services and who gains from government subsidies.”
AusAID and Unicef representatives, teachers and students from various schools in the city attended the launching.
Students and staff of Ward Strip Demonstration and St Therese primary schools, the Limana vocational, Marianville and Gordon Secondary schools and the Sacred Heart elementary school celebrated the national school census theme – Count Me In – with songs, poems, drama and dances.