Government must invest in SMEs

IT has been reported by the Education Department that out of 23,823 students who sat the Grade 12 Exams in 2016, only 4854 or 20 per cent were selected by tertiary institutions.
This means that 80 per cent did not get selected.
This is not just for 2016: It has been the case every year.
The same thing will happen to this year’s Grade 12s.
The bottom line, with respect to the Government’s much-touted tuition fee free (free education) policy is this: It is producing thousands of Grade 12 dropouts every year.
The Government must invest as much money into the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as it is putting into education in order to bring balance into its policies.
Focusing too much on education without creating jobs is undesirable for the country in the long run.

Tiri Kuimbakul
Port Moresby