The Marape-Steven Government will be re-looking the Tuition Fee free policy - a key policy of the former Government.
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| TFF policy/Facebook/NBC News |
The policy introduced in 2012, enabling access to education for over one million of the country's young, has seen approximately four billion kina invested to date.
In Parliament yesterday, Prime Minister James Marape, while commending the former Government for the policy said it has both good and bad sides – and needs to be relooked.
He said the Government does not want to encourage lazy citizens, rather productive ones.
“There are also downsides to it, in as far as the quality interventions are concerned.
Many of our parents and citizens have pulled back, thinking that is 100 percent Government obligation.
We will look into that policy as well without putting burden on our parents and citizens.
We are looking into a program where there is a shared responsibility.
I am divorcing and distancing from an absolute free education in our lower level systems but we are working at a higher education – skills level, college level, certificate level.
And we are trying to share arrangement at the lower level, I have citizens from my electorate who are adults – they say Government is paying for free education and they are not responding or contributing to the economy but are instead lazying their way through life,” Mr. Marape said.
Meantime, Papua New Guineans attending tertiary institutions in the country can expect to get some assistance with their tuition fees by 2020.
This following the announcement by Prime Minister James Marape in Lae recently, of the setting up of an 'endowment fund' that will see students benefiting from interest-free loans.
Mr. Marape elaborated on this today in Parliament, saying the Government understands the current burden that families have to pay annually for fees - which lies in the K5-000 to K20-000 mark.
He said the catch is that - all students will now have to register through the National Identification project in order to benefit from this scheme.
Mr. Marape was responding to questions by North Fly MP James Donald regarding the Government's announcement of an endowment fund to assist students at the tertiary level.
Source: NBC News 9th October 2019
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