Cut funding going to Help: PM

By HELEN TARAWA
PRIME Minister James Marape says the reduction of the Tuition Fee Free education funding announced during Budget 2020 is aimed at addressing quality assurance.
He told The National the same money would go to students who were leaving school in grades eight, 10 and 12.
“We are putting more money to our students who have come out of grades eight, 10 and 12 with no option in life and we are addressing this for the first time,” he said.
“We are trying to address quality assurance in the same rearrangements so parents, local MPs and provincial governors take ownership of school fees at the elementary to high school while the national government meets 50 per cent of the fees.”
Marape said although the TFF policy was for free education, three-quarters of the money was squandered in service providers and book supplies and everything else from Port Moresby and little was reaching the schools.
“We are re-arranging this so that parents plus open MPs and provincial governors pay the fees at elementary to grade 12.
“Those who come out of the examinations at grade eight, 10 or 12 will fall into the Higher Education Loans Programme (Help).
“Help programme will assist them to go into technical schools or vocational training or colleges or tertiary, at least we will have the facility to help the students,” he said.