The government has introduced higher education loan program (HELP) for tertiary students which will enable them to apply for full school fee loans.
The HELP will enable tertiary students to get the loan directly from the government.
Prime Minister James Marape has already spoken to the MPs and governors to assist parents right across the country to pay K150 for elementary up to primary school and K500 for high school to secondary schools.
Prime Minister Marape said with HELP, the government is asking parents to partner with them.
“While you are struggling to put K10 thousand to pay for your kids to go to university, which one is heavier, K10 thousand or K150 for elementary up to primary? Am I asking too much, is your country asking too much?”
The Prime Minister said he wants to encourage Papua New Guineans to master their own destiny on their own land instead of looking to free education.
“I remove this free tuition fee, free education policy, this policy doesn’t bear the good fruit and there is no good benefit in keeping free education policy.”
He stressed that parents will no longer pay for tertiary students’ tuition fees; it will now become the responsibility of the national government.
Students will be eligible to apply for full school fee loans by providing certain documents, such as NID, to verify the last school attended.
(Article by Albert Moses – third year UPNG Journalism student)