Minister reveals strategy for higher education

By DULCIE OREKE
MINISTER for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology David Arore intends to grow the higher and technical education sector through a three- pronged strategy.
Arore said that involved growing the 32 accredited higher education service providers and by deepening their market to ensure every parent had a child progressing into college or university by 2020.
Speaking at his welcome luncheon in Port Moresby this week, Arore said he would like to expand scholarships coverage from the 9,500 students to 20,000 and doubling gross enrolment from 28,000 to 46,000 by 2020.
He said the strategies included:
lExpanding investment in new buildings and teaching equipment for technical colleges and universities to soak up the excess high school dropouts that was going to result from the government’s free education policy;
lSeparating technical and vocational education into an authority together with the National Training Council and placing them under the ministry in line with NEC decision 54/85, which directed that Tvet amalgamate with higher education;
lAwarding more research grants to science and technology to spur the growth of innovation in the country; and
lTo work with the minister for labour and employment to create an employment service centre to find jobs for graduates in the country and overseas.
“I will ensure all universities and colleges adopt and adhere to a quality assurance rating my ministry has developed.”
Arore said he would be brutal on councils that had been responsible for running
down state educational institutions in the country.
“Council and the boardroom politics must cease and with the interest of our children given paramount importance,” he said.