Tvet is way forward in education

THE recognition of Technical Colleges and Technical Vocational Education Training (Tvet) institutes in the country is the way forward to develop the skills and knowledge of the bulk of youths pushed out of the education system every year.
Approximately 30,000 school leavers pass out of the education system each year and only 10,000 find some places in tertiary institutions in the country.
What about the other 20,000.
You multiply that last five years and you get 100,000 young men and women wasting time and energy on uneconomical activities.

As a country, the current stance taken by Department of Higher Education Research Science and Technology to rehabilitate and upgrade existing technical colleges to accommodate more intakes and improve learning, board and lodging facilities is a positive step.
This recognition has been well overdue.
Under the national development policies on Medium Term Development Strategy, it stipulated that every district in Papua New Guinea should establish a minimum of three Tvet institutions each.
The onus is on the Governors and district members to identify land, demarcate for educational institute use and start doing some groundwork to start these institutions.
Some districts and provinces may have achieved the minimum three Tvet institutions required in their provinces, but most have not.
This initiative to establish the Tvet institutions will allow polytechnical or university colleges as bridging institutions to universities whilst some Tvet colleges can be upgraded to take their place.
Every school leaver from each province should attend their own Tvet colleges or improved technical colleges to cut down on costs and focus on serving their province and district upon completion.
Some can be self-employed in small-medium enterprises after acquiring relevant knowledge and skills to give them confidence and motivation.
These are future employers so they must be helped in the initial phases of their startup.

Philip Ukuni