Quality education important

HE Education Secretary and Teaching Service Commissioner have been accused of failing to facilitate the registration of six teacher training colleges operating in the country is shallow and personal.
The need to improve the quality of education is a genuine issue, but the issue of compliance to minimise standards in not negotiable.
There are major reforms underway in the curriculum and school structure to achieve quality.
There are also reforms in the teacher education programs to produce quality teachers; for instance, level of GPA has been raised to 2.4 and lengthy training periods increased from two to three years and the minimum qualification raised to diploma.
The startling revelation came from an education officer with the intent of notifying the conference to highlight the reasons why these institutions were not “recognised” by the Education department and TSC.
This was a “heads up”, more to jolt these colleges to provide the requirements in order for the National Education Board to approve their applications on merit.
For the record, the Education Department has a set of minimum stands for registration of new school after an expression of interest letter has been presented by parties with interests via the provincial education board or church agency.
In the deliberation process, the above requirements are scrutinised and if the applicants meet the compliance standards, the National Education Board approves registration.
Quality assurance procedures take time to make sure these institutions meet NEB requirement.
In fact, providing quality education is the mandate or core function of the Ministry of Education, all other factors are enablers and contribute to the overall quality of learning outcomes.
It has also come to light that many of these private colleges were registered under Investment Promotion Authority and approved by the National Training Council as a business.
This goes against the grain of establishing training institution, such as an institution which should produce quality teachers, to educate and shape our children.
The secretary and commissioner cannot go and tell anyone of these colleges to stop accepting students.
There are legal implications to such actions.
These colleges are the results of huge sums being invested in them by private partnership stakeholders.
By the same token these colleges must show patience and let the compliance process take its course.
The current scenarios show our private colleges putting “the cart before the horse” and are now crying foul.

Educationist
WAIGANI