Improve facilities instead of subsidising fees

Letters, Normal
Source:

The National, Tuesday 18th September, 2012

WHEN the previous O’Neill-Namah government announced the free education policy, parents throughout PNG danced because it would lift a burden off their shoulders while some criticised it for being an election gimmick.
As a student, I also benefited from the policy and I am thankful.
But I think the government should plan the policy properly or come up with a better strategy that would best transform the education sector and enhance our efforts to improve and strengthen our human resources.
While there is a dramatic increase of students in the country, resources are still lacking.
Instead of using millions to pay for student fees, why not build more classrooms, computer labs and libraries, equip them with desks, chairs, computers, experiment apparatus, etc as well as improve teachers’ living conditions?
I would rather pay my own fees, even though my parents struggle to earn the money, but at least I would have the necessary re­sources and better learning facilities to sustain and enhance my learning experience to a higher degree.
Teachers and lecturers would also perform better if their living conditions were improved and remuneration packages were attractive enough.

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