Wingti: Uneducated should be considered

WESTERN Highlands Governor Paias Wingti has acknowledged the government for introducing the Higher Education Loan Policy (Help) but said the uneducated population should also be addressed.
He responded to a statement by Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Minister Nick Kuman on Help.
“This will bring back more responsibility and stop the culture of dependency,” he said.
“It is time that we redirect the course to realise that the people themselves must pay, I think this decision is important for the government to make.
“Sometimes it is hard to tell our people, sometimes they just want to see and hear the easiest thing, but that is not the right thing to lead our people,
“Our people must be told that they must pay for it, whether it is in education, health, they must pay some money for it.
“If we do not allow our people to think that way, they will become so dependent on the State.”
Wingti said with the population growing at a rate of 3.5 per cent, the government focus should shift towards the uneducated.
“We are talking about kids that are going through grades 8, 10 and 11 and 12. How many of them are still at the village not getting education?
“We are just talking about the percentage of kids who are going to school right now.
“Education is a serious business, a country’s welfare and how our country progresses is the quality of education in the country and the population must be educated.
“Government has taken the right stand.
“Now we must look at the all our electorates, whether the kids are going to school or not, because everytime we are talking about education. I think we are forgetting about those who are not getting education,” Wingti said.