Address growing school leavers problem, institute says

 THE Government must seriously address the increasing number of school leavers if it is to achieve Vision 2050, director of the Asia Pacific Institute of Applied Social Economic and Technical Studies Thomas Pillar says.

“The Papua New Guinea education system has almost 26,000 schools leavers,” he said. 

“But the college and universities in Papua New Guinea can only cater 4000 to 5000 school leavers.

“It leaves 21,000 to 22,000 students coming out of schools in the streets.”

Pillar attended an agreement signing with the University of Goroka.

“If this country is serious about addressing the 2050 Vision, they better start looking at the school leavers seriously because this lot will pull the country down,” he said. 

“Because they will be without any formal education, they won’t find good jobs and they won’t be able to look after themselves.

“So they will be out trying to survive. 

“And when they try to survive, they will do all sorts of things and then that will put a lot of pressure on the economy.”

He said the agreement between the institute and the UOG’s Institute of Distance and Flexible Learning was a way the Government should consider.

He said such pathways would give hope to school leavers.