Dept eyes online selections for grade 12 students

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MORE than 28,000 grade 12 students sitting for their examinations this week will have their selection by tertiary institutions made online for next year.
This will save the Government time and costs, Higher Education Research Science and Technology Minister Pila Niningi said.
A stakeholder seminar for online selections was held in Port Moresby on Friday to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency in the selection process.
“And most importantly increase the probability of capable and eligible school-leavers being admitted while ensuring institutions’ autonomy in the selection process is maintained,” Niningi said.
“We are approaching one of the most significant periods for our grade 12 school leavers. Selectors will again play a key role.
“The higher education sector has grown to such an extent that the way we select students must be improved.”
Niningi has noted high instances of dubious means of selecting students to high institutions.
“Let us admit that in the past there were students being selected through nepotism, through wantoks and they ride in,” he said.
“Now we have launched an online selection process, the system itself will select students to enrol in institutions so this is a step forward to minimise the practice.”
Niningi said the online selection would reduce costs and save time as well.
“In the past, selection of students cost us through hotel bills, airfares and everything else, people coming in from all over the country. We will save K5 million by online selection,” he said.
“I was concerned about the delay, the time  students to wait.
“We believe that through the online selection, the same day they will get the information back so the students are not kept in suspense and they know that they have an alternative choice to check out.
“That is why we wanted to help our young people to give the information back quickly.”