Give more options to school leavers

The National Letters

AS a parent and a citizen, the Christmas messages by our good Prime Minister to those students who passed out last year, is encouraging.
But it also comes with its own responsibilities as it will need massive turnaround of government assistant in terms of resources.
Year in, year out, we will still have a good number of school leavers being left behind because of many contributing factors such as, not enough tertiary institutions and lack of space to name a few.
I want to put forward a suggestion to our good PM to consider overcoming this burden to help those school leavers from grade 8,10 or 12.
Let me use grade 10 as a example for this proposal.
I believe before students sit for their final exams, they will fill out their school leavers form to ensure once they finish, then based on their results they will be selected to one of the following:

  • IF a student score much better, National High School;
  • IF a student score a bit better, Secondary High School;
  • IF a student score at least a bit better, TVET Colleges; and,
  • IF a student did not score better, where will he/she end up? (this is where my suggestion comes in)

A percentage of those who did not make it will try to get help from parents, guardians and local members for self-sponsors to further their education or find work.
Can that be included in the school leaver’s form, an option to help student on item four?
There are reputable private run schools across the country who have taken in students who could not make it further but under the student’s own cost.
These private schools have contributed massively in the human resources market and it’s high time the government step in and repay their commitment in standing in and filling the void gap that the formal process could not met.
By exercising this, no students will be left out as they would be given a chance to get training to find work and maybe continue to pursue his/her dreams.
The choice will be there, if a student doesn’t want to take the last option, then they would drop out and maybe fund their education.
The onus will be, for these private run institutions to step up and have their house in order for them to qualify for government funding to train these students.
This will play a major part of the famous catch phrase, always echoed out by our good PM to take back PNG and not to leave a child behind.

Big Leva via email