2026 Grade 11 Selection: PNG Education Department Confirms Grade 11 Selection Dates

The Papua New Guinea Department of Education has announced that the Grade 11 National Selection for 2026 will take place online from December 1 to December 5, 2025. The process will be done in two parts. National Schools of Excellence will complete their selection on December 1 and 2, while all Provincial Secondary Schools will carry out their selection from December 3 to 5.

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Who Can Be Selected 

Students who achieved an Upper Pass or higher in Grade 10 will be considered for Grade 11 placement. Those who did not reach this level will continue their studies through Flexible Open Distance Education centres. The Department expects more students to move into Grade 11 in 2026, so schools should prepare for larger class sizes.

How the Selection Will Be Done 

School principals must take part in the selection panels and bring laptops with reliable internet. In the National Capital District, the selection will be held at the Diowai Conference Room at Port Moresby National School of Excellence. 

In each province, the selection will be organised by Provincial Education Advisors at chosen venues. Guidance Officers and nominated principals will lead the process. Schools must provide important information such as the number of students, boarding space, and gender requirements. Electronic copies of Grade 10 School Leaving Forms will be used.

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Technical Support 

By December 2, 2025, schools will receive login details, internet data support, and links to the selection portal. Contact information for regional help desks will also be shared. Experienced principals are encouraged to help new principals so the process runs smoothly.

STEM Pathway for Top Students 

Students who are selected for National Schools of Excellence will begin their Grade 11 studies in January 2026. High-performing students will be given the chance to study the STEM curriculum, which focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Contact Information 

For more details, stakeholders can reach Mr. Benny Rayappan, Chairperson of the Grade 11 National Selection Committee, by phone at (675) 76857336 or 78275758, or by email at Benny_Rayappan@education.gov.pg or bennyrayappan@yahoo.com.

How PNG Grade 11 Selections for 2026 Takes Place (THE SELECTION PROCESS)

2026 Grade 11 Selection for National High Schools and Secondary Schools in the country will be done online. The Grade 11 online selection follows an initiative of the National Department of Education.

This education blog reproduces the Education Secretary's circular in brief for parents, guardians and stakeholders (alike) to understand the  Grade 11 selection process. 

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How Grade 11 Selection Takes Place

• Measurement Services Division (MSD) will provide the final results for Grade 10 to the Information and Communication Division (ICD).
• ICD will run the Grade 11 Selection.
• General Education Services will coordinate the selection process with all the principals from secondary and national high schools.
• Inspections and Standards Division (ISD) and Guidance and Counselling Division (GCD) will assist principals in the provinces. Principals are asked to enter and verify data in the provinces.

YOU CAN SEE THE EDUCATION SECRETARY'S CIRCULAR (PDF) ON GRADE 11 SELECTIONS VIA THE LINK >> CLICK HERE. 

Duration of 2026 Grade 11 Selections

The Department of Education expects the (actual) selection to be done in 2 - 3 days as it will be done online. 

However, the data entry is done in the provinces and the selection process will take two weeks.

• Grade 11 selection - 2 weeks
• Principals to start selecting students - in 2  weeks
• The selection listing for Grade 11 to secondary and national high schools is expected to be released around mid-December.

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Grade 11 Selections Cut-off

The selections for Grade 11 to national high schools and secondary schools will be based on the Education Board's National Standards Requirements.

• National High Schools Selection: The school of excellence concept requires that Grade 10 students with Distinctions or Credits are selected for National High Schools. The eligible students are pre-selected based on their intention on the School Leavers Forms.
• Secondary Schools Selection: Students with x7 Upper Passes or a percentile score of 77 points or higher to be selected for Grade 11

Grading, Subject Weighting and Results

Grade 10 students in the country study x7 subjects. Hence, the results are based on all the subjects taken by every student. 

Here is a screenshot of Information on Grading, Subject Weighting and Grade 11 selection results. 

Source: Education Secretary Circular (13/2020) - Click here to watch the video that explains all these.

6 Factors for non-selection of students to Grade 11

• Fail to apply
• Bad Character 
• Below School Quota
• No School leavers form
• Parents not requesting a transfer 
• Gender equity in case of a tie in the selection

The Grade 11 selection for 2026 takes a new approach where principals and education offices do the selection in the provinces, instead of Port Moresby. 

This blog advocates for transparency in the selection of Grade 11 students. 

At the same time, we hope that the new Grade 11 online selection initiative of the NDoE is as effective and efficient and can deliver the results on time. 

Past Grade 11 Selections - Port Moresby

The Grade 11 selections used to take place in Port Moresby. Principals and education officers from the provinces gathered in the capital city for weeks on end to do the selection. 

It can take up to 2 weeks for them to select students for the national high and secondary schools.

The principals and education officers from the provinces work with MSD and GED (two divisions of the National Department of Education) to finalise the selections. 

The final selection listing would be given to the education secretary to sight and sign and made available on the Department of Education website. 

The principals also inform the newly selected Grade 11 students of their schools for the new academic year. 

This was the past where things were done manually. 

Data Entry and Verification

The principals and a provincial selection committee would meet in the provinces and do the 2026 Grade 11 selection. 

They then verify students' eligibility and enter their data online. (An important function, now done in the provinces) . Data verification and entry will take two (2) weeks. 

The Grade 11 selection is a mandatory function of the National Education Board (NEB). 

The selection of Grade 11 students is not a provincial function, it still remains a national function. This implies that the cleansing of data (if any) and final (quality) checks will be done by the NEB before the 2026 Grade 11 selection listing comes out to the public.

About PNG Insight

PNG Insight is an education blog. It aims to highlight the key developments in the education sector in Papua New Guinea. Started in 2014 on Google's blogger (now self-hosted on Wordpress), PNG Insight strives to be a platform for critical thinking and discussions; and a source of information.

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