Administrator: Decline in academic performance

 THERE is a general decline in academic performances in schools across the country.

This is according the Kokopo district administrator Ekonia Walom, who, while addressing the graduation of Raluana Primary School last week, said there were complaints from universities in the country about primary and secondary schools not producing the quality of academic expected.

“The education reform is under review after the outcry of dissatisfaction from parents and stakeholders across the country due to the fact that students cannot speak proper English,” Walom said.

He said the government had recognised this issue in schools and therefore prioritised education so that it could be better delivered to the people.

He said the government had been driven to initiate policy shifts within the sector and its line agencies, adding some of these initiatives had already been implemented while others were still at the policy stage.

Walom said these initiatives included the tuition fees, replacement of the outcomes based education (OBE) by compulsory education to address the universal base education, infrastructure development grant for school of excellence and the national quality schools standards frame work to monitor standards in schools.

He said that ENB would continue to implement major policy initiatives. “Most policy initiatives have not been fully supported, resulting in a lack of implementation and the desired outcome not achieved,” Walom said. 

He said OBE proved a success in other countries but educationists in the country had admitted that the only gap was language-bridging through phoenix that could have been addressed through an appropriate teacher education programme.

Walom said the provincial government had made education a priority and was working to deliver education services across the province. 

He said the ENB government had used the education division to register private institutions.