University education out of reach for many

WHILE many families are still in the festive mode, those with children attending the University of Papua New Guinea have switched mode and turned to financial planning.
The advice of an increase in the compulsory fee for 2018 to more than twice the amount of what was paid this year, is a slap in the face for ordinary Papua New Guinean parents.
For the university, there is little, if any, choice; the decision to raise the fee resulted from the decrease in the annual grants from the Government. Then there is the increase in the annual costs of essential utilities to be met to maintain the operations of the university’s teaching and learning activities.
UPNG’s budget allocation for 2018 is K51.4 million compared to the previous allocation of K69.3 million.
The other universities – University of Technology and University of Environment and Natural Resources – also got a cut, but not as substantial as UPNG’s. The University of Goroka got an increase.
Parents whose children have been selected to attend the University of Papua New Guinea will now be digging deeper into their pockets if they want their children to study at the country’s oldest university.
Students attending the Waigani campus in 2018 pay K6500 in tuition fee; K645 in service fee; K330 in administration fee and K25 in SRC fee for a total of K7500.
The 2017 fees for the same campus were K2436 (tuition), K431 (service), K50 (administrative) and K22 (SRC), for a total of K2939.
Accommodation fees for residential students (inclusive of meals) at the Waigani and Taurama campuses remain the same.
At Waigani, a student pays K8562 for a basic twin share accommodation; K9885 (single room); K9885 (international house); K11,072 (single/double with ensuite) and K12,000 (Games Village – twin share).
In reality, entering UPNG and other universities is no longer for those who are academically bright, but only for those who have the money.
How can a family whose main source of income is the land and sea able to send a son or daughter to UPNG today?
For some families, some children will have to go without university education so one or two can make it through on the family’s small income.
Only a few thousands would proceed to the next level, depending on the money they have. The rest of the school leavers will be left to fend for themselves and mostly in the job market or in the cheaper private education institutions. That is unfair.
The problem is clear but the solutions are not so easy to come by.
For families, there is a high value attached to education.
It is seen as the ticket to a better life and something which can enable not only the student but also their families and tribes.
The effect is multiplied and magnified in the community.
As far as absorbing the thousands of graduates from secondary school level, the reality on the ground is still quite grim.
The number of yearly school dropouts and their place and use in society is a ticking time bomb and something the State through its agencies must address.
This has been a problem for a long time – it just was not felt as sharply in the community as it is now.