Free education futile due to overcrowding

 I RECENTLY visited some schools in Lae and Madang and saw  that  there are  limited space in classrooms, resulting in overcrowding that causes inconveniences to schools, teachers and students. 

Student intake is increasing due to the free education policy. 

The same old classrooms  that  catered for 30 to 45 students two decades ago are now overcrowded –  with 60 to 70 students or more. 

The wantok system and bribery have also allowed more students with lower grades to proceed to certain levels, degrading the quality. 

More classrooms and teachers are needed as the numbers are likely to increase each year. 

Education is the core of development and so the free education policy is a bonus. 

But it must be executed with quality to meet global standards.

Having such problems is a worry and if not addressed quickly and properly, it  will lead to ineffective outcomes for the nation. 

Concerned authorities must investigate, identify and weed out corrupt practice at this level. 

Sylvester Ikuma

Lae