Preaching compulsary school not good enough

Letters, Normal
Source:

The National, Wednesday February 12th, 2014

 EDUCATION Secretary Dr Michael Tapo reminded parents not to deny their children education by keeping them at home. 

Tapo  said  that  his  department is working on  a policy to  be enforced  and  any parent  or guardian who does not send their children  to  school  will be in trouble. 

He  also  said  that  every  child must go to school because it is universally mandated and the government cares about every child going to school. 

While this government preaches a lot about the free education policy and urges all parents and guardians to send their children to school, its action shows otherwise. 

If  parents  and guardians will be in trouble for not sending their child to school, how about the government’s  failure to put up new buildings, to improve and upgrade  facilities to cater for schoolchildren, to provide housing for teachers and to train enough teachers to teach our children? 

What is the penalty for the government’s failure? 

Is this not an act of denying services to the people of PNG?

Can this act be deemed as criminal just like parents or guardians who  abandon  their  child  by neglecting their parental duties in terms of child protection?

The government, through its agents, can force its policies to be implemented,  but if the basics of setting up foundations of all its development plans are not done properly, what good are these plans and what will the government accomplish after its five-year term? 

Nothing. Why are those simple plans so hard to achieve? 

Is it because of biased decisions or engaging unqualified professionals, or is it because the people in authority are surrounded by others who are not planners, designers or builders? 

I  am sick of reading about the government’s free education policy and about the government urging parents and guardians to send children to school. 

Where will the children go after Grade 12? 

The current number of college and universities cannot cater for all the Grade 12 students throughout the country. 

Can the government do something about this? 

Can the secretary visit all the institutions nationwide and do a research  on  how  best he  can  address  the  issues and problems that  the Education Department is facing? 

Do we need new institutions? 

If so, in which region; Mamose, Highlands, New Guinea Island or the Southern region?

Are there possibilities to include other courses in established teaching  and  nursing  colleges  to  cater for the high number of Grade 12 drop-outs? 

Please consider these questions as  they should  solve  some  of  the  on-going problems and issues affecting our Education Department  and  institutional needs nationwide. 

 

Jim Thoa, Via email