School head: Students dropping out a worry

 By BEATRICE BONAKOYA

THE trend of students dropping out of the school system is alarming and worrisome, the founder of a private education institution says.

Port Moresby Institute of Matriculation Studies director, Norman Sike said there were 170,000 students in Grades 8, 10 and 12 in the country.

But he said only 52% of this number made it to the next level of study, while the rest dropped out of the system. 

“This situation has been going on for many years and if not attended to seriously may cause great harm in the not too distant future,” he said.

Sike said the compulsory education policy initiated by the national government would stop dropouts at Grade 8 and Grade 10. 

He said that meant more Grade 12 students would be dropping out of the education syste.

Sike commended the Enga provincial government for setting up education institutions to give school dropouts a second chance to be successful.

The PIMS in Wabag is into its second year of operation and receives annual funding from the provincial government.