Education standards

Much has been published about the ongoing standard-based curriculum (SBC) awareness training programmes being delivered in many schools around the country.
Frankly, introducing a new curriculum will definitely require a massive countrywide awarenessprogramme to reach the far and near.
If you are a parent, taxpayer, stakeholder or student, you should appreciate the gesture indicated by the national and provincial education departments, the local members of parliament and school boards who have assisted in cash or kind to ensure teachers get the proper skills and knowledge that can allow them to use the SBC approach.
After 43 years, PNG is still looking for specialist science and mathematics teachers.
This is so because we have been foolish and corrupt in the way we have recruited trainee teachers and appointed them to teaching positions they cannot teach.
We have also appointed unqualified principals to manage schools, and all these are directly linked to our failing education system.
We are only harvesting what we have planted. We are tasting our own medicine and for how long is anyone’s guess.

Ken Nandawa
Yaporolo Weki