OBE was unsuccessful

 THE outcomes-based education system failed to achieve its purpose so had to be replaced, according to Minister for Education Nick Kuman.

Kuman said it prompted the Government to reintroduce the standards-based education system which was phased out in 1994.

He said the curriculum developed around the OBE was to get students into tertiary institutions.

“Unfortunately that failed. The outcomes-based education failed the country,” he said.

He was responding to Anglimp-South Waghi MP Joe Koim’s concern regarding the education system’s failure to prepare students for industry-related work or village life after Grades 10 or 12.

Koim said the system had disillusioned students into believing that they would all go on to universities or colleges after Grade 10 and 12. They quickly lost hope when they did not secure places in tertiary institutions.

He said the Government should structure the curriculum with a plan to cater for drop-outs from Grade 10 and 12.

He said out of the 19,000 Grade 12 students who came out of this OBE system in 2014, only 5,600 would be attending tertiary institutions this year.

He said the government would ensure that technical training programmes would be made available to cater for more than 60 percent of school drop-outs.

“We are encouraging all district to have a vocational school each, every province technical training school and by region, a polytech institution,” Kuman said.