TFF policy appreciated

IN a broader spectrum, education is a right for all children in Papua New Guinea.
We are thankful to the past Government led by O’Neill, for introducing the Tuition Fee Free (TFF) policy in 2011.
This policy has benefited children, irrespective of their background all across the country.
The policy, successfully implemented and monitored, remitted over K2 billion to over 10,000 schools each year to ensure accountability in its allocation of funds.
The facilitators and implementers worked hard to ensure that the TFF policy was rolled out and implemented in schools around the country.
They made sure the policy was available and understood by schools, institutions and stakeholders including the public.
That’s why the policy was implemented successfully.
They understood that the policy would give hope to unfortunate children to complete their education and contribute to the human resources of the country.
The PNC led government was able to achieve its integral human development goal through an affordable education system that appreciates Christian and traditional values, and prepares literate, skilled and healthy citizens by concentrating on the growth and development of each individual’s viability and character formation, while ensuring all can contribute to the peace and prosperity of the nation.
However, at the current juncture, the Marape Government turned another way and threw away the policy that benefited disadvantaged children from rural areas.
Throwing away the TFF policy will curtail human development and create social problems.
Social problems such as increment of unskilled people, crimes, tribal fights and street vending, gender based violence related problems would rise and diminish the literacy rate of the country.
There will be other negative repercussion such as inequality in getting education.
Some parents live with a daily income of less than US$0.50 (K1.70) and would not be able to send their children to school.
Marape and his regime should understand that almost 30 per cent of the country’s pollution live under poverty.
They have agricultural products but no markets to sell their produce.
The Government have not introduced new policies but reintroduced policies used by former governments.
We cannot identify any new policies that would improve the current state of the country’s economy.
This revised policy would be a disadvantage for orphans.
The government is optimistic that the policy is an impediment to the nation’s advancement.
I think Marape’s slang “Take Back PNG” is nonsense and has no meaning when this regime abandon the TFF policy.
Students and parents will feel the real pain and dig out from their pockets to pay for fees with this revised policy.
Some students will drop out because they will not be able to afford the fees.
There will be greater gap between rich and poor.
We should appreciate this policy introduced by O’Neill.
Though we fought them on social media and mainstream media, protesting and confronting to topple, their policy (TFF) have paved way for many students to prosper.

Ipne Dick Lance,
Lai Valley,
Southern Highlands