2026 Grade 11 Selection List for Southern Region, Highlands Region, Momase Region and New Guinea Islands Region

This post provides an update on the current situation regarding the selection of students for Grade 11 in high and secondary schools for the 2026 academic year. The Department of Education has not yet released the 2026 Grade 11 Selection List for the Southern Region, Highlands Region, Momase Region, and New Guinea Islands Region in PDF format on its website. 

Grade 11 Selection List 2025/2026 Updates

The Grade 11 Selection Lists for all regions, including National High Schools, were observed to be released before Christmas every year. These lists became available two weeks after the Grade 11 Selection Committee concluded their online selection. 

In anticipation of the 2026 Grade 11 Selection List for the Southern Region, Highlands Region, Momase Region, and New Guinea Islands Region, check out last year's PDF list to get an idea of what to expect this year.

We will let you know of the release of the Grade 11 selection for 2026. We are making this page redundant  - visit PNG Insight Education & Development website for the latest updates for this year. Here are the links:

• NSOE Selection Lists 2026

• Highlands Region

• Southern Region

• Momase Region

• New Guinea Islands Region

Grade 11 Selection 2026 Updates

The Grade 11 Selection List has not yet been officially released by the National Department of Education. However, it has been noted that some school principals, who have early access to their respective school selection lists, have displayed the information on school notice boards and, in some cases, circulated it through social media platforms such as Facebook.

This development indicates that the official national release of the 2026 Grade 11 selection lists by the Department of Education is imminent. Parents, students, and stakeholders are therefore advised to remain patient and rely on formal communication channels for the confirmed and complete release.

Once officially published, the 2026 Grade 11 selection lists for National Schools of Excellence and Secondary Schools across Papua New Guinea will be made available by the PNG Education Department, including downloadable PDF copies through recognised information platforms such as PNG Insight.

Further updates will be provided as soon as the Department makes the official announcement.

When will the 2026 selection list come out?

The official announcement of the release date for the Grade 11 selection will be made by the Education Secretary. PNG Insight will also provide updates as soon as we get the date. Typically, the Grade 11 Selection List PDF for each region is released two weeks after the examination committee has made the selections. Look for the release around mid-December.

How Past Grade 11 Selection Lists Are Published

Past Publication Method

In previous years, the Grade 11 selection lists were published in PDF format and arranged by region. There was no need to log in; users simply downloaded the PDF file and searched for their name. The regions included:

• Grade 11 Selection List for Highlands Region
• Grade 11 Selection List for Momase Region
• Grade 11 Selection List for New Guinea Islands Region
• Grade 11 Selection List for Southern Region

Work in Progress

It appears that the ICT Division of the National Education Department is working on their website to update and publish the list. Stay tuned and check the Department's website for the latest Grade 11 Selection listings.

Additional Resources

If you have any questions, please refer to the following resources for more information on the selection process:

• Grade 11 Selection Timeline
• High and Secondary Schools Selections- info & update
• The Grade 11 selection listing for 2026 is NOT out yet. Here is the latest on this topic.

Conclusion

The 2026 Grade 11 Selection List for the Southern Region, Highlands Region, Momase Region, and New Guinea Islands Region will soon be available. Use the provided resources and historical dates to anticipate the release. Check the National Department of Education's website regularly and stay informed through PNG Insight for the latest updates.

Follow PNG Insight on YouTube for more information on education and development topics in PNG. Leave a comment to let us know about your visit.

About PNG Insight

PNG Insight is an independent education blog. It aims to highlight the key developments in the education sector in Papua New Guinea. Starting in 2014 on Google's Blogger, PNG Insight strives to be a platform for critical thinking and discussions, and a source of information.

Follow us on YouTube.

Leave a comment and let us know about your visit. 

Study at Sonoma Adventist College | Application, Selection and Admission info

The Sonoma Adventist College offers courses for primary school teachers training as well as training in Business Studies and Theology. The college is run predominantly by the Seventh Day Adventist Church and is located 17km out of Kokopo Town, Papua New Guinea.

Sonoma is an affiliated campus of PAU enabling them to deliver academic programs in Teacher Education (Primary), Building, Agriculture, Business and Theology.

5 Recommended Colleges for 2021: 

• Simbu Teachers College
• Gaulim Teachers College
• Madang Teachers College
• Kokopo Business College
• St Barnabas Nursing College

How to study at Sonoma Adventist College

You can study at the Sonoma Adventist College as a School Leaver or a Non-school Leaver. All the application and admission information that you need will be provided on the application form. Therefore before applying, get hold of an application form and read through the requirements carefully.

GPA college entry: Minimum GPA 2.20 (This GPA for Teachers Colleges in PNG was raised to 2.8 for the 2024 intakes - here is the latest info)

Sonoma has an affiliation entry pathway to Pacific Adventist University. As a student at Sonoma, you can continue to degree and masters programs at PAU and benefit from the course pathways the university offers for its students.

GPA for Sonoma/PAU entry: PAU recommends that students from Sonoma with a GPA of 2.20 to 2.70 and work experience may qualify for admission into a relevant program of study.

Apply to  study as Non-school Leavers

To apply to Sonoma, you can get an application form from your Local Mission, pastor or at the main SDA Headquarters. Ask friendly people about an application form for Sonoma Adventist College and seek any assistance you may need to complete the application form, fee requirements and admissions info. 

You can also contact the institution directly using the contact given above. 

If you are in Port Moresby, you can alternatively go to the Pacific Adventist University and ask for help with your application. 

Apply to  study as School Leavers

If you are a Grade 12 student, you will have to apply through the DHERST National Online Application System. Ensure that you put Sonoma Adventist College as your First or Second Choice. 

The best time to do that is during the Grace Period when you can adjust your choices - here is how to do that and why it is important.

General Info

The Sonoma Adventist College is an agency-run institution that aims to 'train committed and efficient Christian workers for service to humanity, both, through church employment and outside of church employment.'

The college is a co-ed institution where both male and female students can study for a diploma in Primary Education, Theology or any one of the 5 program areas. 

Students are expected to uphold the highest Christian behaviour when attending Sonoma and remain true to their beliefs when leaving the college.

The core principle is to know, to love and to serve the community.

Sonoma Adventist College course information

• Bachelor of Education (Primary or Early Childhood)

The Bachelor of Education is comprised of a major strand in either Primary or Early Childhood and students enrolling into the program are selected according to their strengths to take up either of the strands. Students in the primary strand should be competent in teaching grades four to eight, while the early childhood graduates specialise in teaching grades one to three, and can also teach Lower Primary classes as well. 

• Diploma in Building program

The Diploma in Building program is a six-semester three-year full-time program. The program aims to develop well-groomed quality building technicians, estimators, project supervisors, project managers and draftsmen with content-based knowledge, well-informed aptitudes, skills and experiences to fit well into the building, architectural and drafting field of employment.

• Diploma in Business program

The 2-year Diploma in Business program is affiliated with the Pacific Adventist University (PAU) School of Business and is designed as a four-semester full-time study program. The broad aim of this program is to prepare students for employment in accounting, computing and financial management positions in the Church and in its various subsidiary organisations, as well as in the wider business professional community. In this context, the course seeks to integrate values with sound principles.

• Diploma in Tropical Agriculture

The Diploma in Tropical Agriculture is a six-semester three-year full-time program with an emphasis on agricultural practices and issues relevant to Papua New Guinea and other oceanic countries of the South Pacific, such as principles of crop production, animal science, natural resources and conservation, soil science, rural extension, agricultural economics, livestock management, agricultural machinery maintenance, marketing and rural sociology.

• Diploma of Ministry

The Diploma of Ministry is a three-year full-time equivalent for intending ministers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The program is designed primarily to prepare ministers and other skilled pastoral personnel for service in the Adventist Church in the oceanic countries of the South Pacific. It provides a foundation for ordination to pastoral ministry and for later specialisation and graduate studies. Students who successfully complete this program are eligible to apply to PAU for one additional year for the Bachelor of Ministry and Theology program.

Sonoma Adventist College Acceptance List 2023

The acceptance lists are usually published in two parts and separately. The higher education department (DHERST) releases the School Leaver (Grade 12 intake) acceptance list whereas Sonoma does the non-school leavers list.

• The non-school leavers who applied straight to the College will have to check the Pacific Adventist University website for Sonoma Adventist Teachers College non-school leavers acceptance lists.
• As for the Grade 12 school leavers who applied through the National Online Application System (NOAS), check the higher education website for the DHERST Acceptance List.

If you have any questions, check out this link for information on selection dates and acceptance lists for tertiary institutions in PNG.

If you are following up on the Non-school leavers' application, check on PAU's website because the NSL lists are often published together. 

For the school leavers, you'll have to check the DHERST website.

Contact SAC

Sonoma Adventist College

P.O Box 360, KOKOPO 613

East New Britain Province

Papua New Guinea

Phone: (+675) 982 1782

Fax: (+675) 982 216

Leave a comment and let us know if there is any information we can add to this article to help you. 

Grade 9 Selection List for 2026 High and Secondary Schools (PNG Grade 8 Exam Results 2025)

Many parents will be wondering about the final Grade 9 selection list for 2026. It can be a struggle to find out, especially if you do not know who to ask. 

Here is some information about the selection of Grade 9 students for high and secondary schools in PNG. It gives details of the Grade 8 exams, exam results and Grade 9 selection.

FIND OUT ABOUT 2026 GRADE 11 SELECTIONS FOR NSoE & SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN PNG - CLICK HERE

Grade 9 Selection in PNG

The Grade 9 selection is based on the student's internal marks (school-based) and external marks (examination marks). Grade 8 Students wanting to go to the top secondary and high schools must do well in both internal and external assessments.

It is important to understand that, though the Grade 8 examination is set by the National Department of Education in Port Moresby, the Grade 8 examinations and Grade 9 selection is decentralised to the provinces in the country. Hence, the running of the exam and selecting students to Grade 9 is done in the provinces, by the provincial education board in collaboration with heads of Primary Schools.

Recommended: Read about MOMASE Region Grade 9 Selection, Grade 11 selections and PNG Tertiary Institutions selections.

Provincial Education Board & Grade 9 Selections Lists 2026

The education officers, in collaboration with headteachers and Grade 8 teachers, in the provinces are in charge of: 

• exam security, 
• conducting and marking the exams, 
• quality-checking the Grade 8 exam results,
• selecting students to Grade 9, and 
• reporting to the Education Department.

Provincial Examination Supervisor (Grade 8 PES)

The key person in the province responsible for the smooth flow of the Grade 8 examinations is the Provincial Examination Supervisor (PES). The Grade 8 PES is a national education officer, as the inspector and Guidance Officer, but based in the provinces. 

The PES liaises with the Measurement Services Division on matters pertaining to exams, students' school data, conducting of exams, reporting on exams and giving feedback on exam-related issues.

Grade 8 Examinations in Primary Schools

The following examinations are taken by Grade 8 students at the end of Primary School:

• English
• Mathematics (Past Exam Papers)
• Combined Subjects 

Grade 8 Certificate of Basic Education Examination (CoBEE)

Every Grade 9 student in the country should have a Certificate of Basic Education Examination (CoBEE). Many provinces have failed to issue the CoBEE. If you are a parent/student from one of these provinces, demand that your children get the certificate. It is an important achievement.

Some people thought that CoBEE was not necessary because of its limited uses. However, wouldn't it be right for the Grade 8 students to celebrate 8 years of Primary School education with an award? 

Like the other certificates of merit, the Grade 8 certificate marks a milestone in a child's education journey. Each province, and provincial education board in the country, should prioritise this award and issue the certificate to Grade 8 school leavers. 

Grade 9 Selections to Secondary Schools

Potential Grade 9 students can check their Grade 8 exam results at the provincial education office. Usually, the PES and Headteachers have access to the final results.

Parents should go through the schools/headteachers if they want to address any exam-related queries. The schools will raise their concern with PES and get an answer for them.

As mentioned earlier, PES is the key person in the province. He is the 'glue' that binds the Grade 8 exam results and Grade 9 selection - the go-to person - in the provinces.

New Grade 9 Students' Placement for 2026

In some instances, many secondary schools and high schools have feeder schools. The system allows for Grade 8 students to transition to Grade 9. Such transition (the Grade 8 to Grade 9 transition) makes it easier for parents to find out if their children have continued to Grade 9, or not.

Some top high and secondary school principals prefer the best Grade 8 students in the province. If you know that your child does well in the Grade 8 examination  (and is not selected to the local high school), check with the top secondary schools in the province. The schools may have picked him/her.

Parents and citizens in NCD, Central, Morobe and other main centres will have difficulty finding out their children's Grade 9 placement for 2026. The best place to check is the provincial education office. Ask for the Grade 8 PES or the chairperson of the Provincial Grade 9 Selection Committee and speak to them calmly. They will help you. 

Leave a comment below in regards to this article if you have questions or wish to add value to this discussion.

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.

You can follow us on Twitter (@PNG_Insight) for information on Education and Development in Papua New Guinea.

Gaulim Teachers College Application, Acceptance and Admission info

Gaulim Teachers College is located in the Gazelle District of East New Britain Province, around 30 minutes drive out of Kokopo Town. The college is heavily subsidised by the PNG Govt but under the patronage of the United Church of Papua New Guinea.

Gaulim Teachers College is a primary teachers training institution.

Contact

THE PRINCIPAL 

GAULIM TEACHERS COLLGE 

P.O.BOX 1343,

KOKOPO

EAST NEW BRITAIN 

How to get Gaulim Teachers College application form?

Contact the student admin directly and ask for the form to be sent to you, If you do not get a response, here are some suggestions to get an application form.

• Ask a friend/family or go to Gaulim Teachers College and get an application form for you.
• Contact a student of Gaulim Teachers College on Social Media and ask him/her to help you.
• Contact a Lecturer, tutor, registrar or employee of Gaulim Teachers College to help you out.
• Visit  Gaulim Teachers College and get an application form.

You must use the official application form to apply. Make sure that the form has the recent date and year, college stamp, PNG Education Department Emblem and College Emblem.

Check out the list of all the Teachers Colleges in PNG and find out how to apply.

General info for new Gaulim Teachers College students

Some of this information (contact details, eligibility, attachments, etc) is provided on the application form, but here are five things that you should know. So, ask your Guidance teachers or the college registrar prior to applying to Gaulim Teachers College these 5 questions.

• What is the CUT-OFF GPA for this year?
• Can I submit my college Application Online too?
• Who can I contact to know the Selection list/status?
• What can I do if I am not selected?

These questions will help you to secure a place to study at Gaulim Teachers College.

5 Recommended Colleges in PNG

• Simbu Teachers College
• Madang Teachers College
• Somona Adventist College
• Kokopo Business College
• St Barnabas Nursing College

Gaulim Teachers College Acceptance List 2024

The acceptance list for Gaulim Teachers College for non-school leavers and school leavers will come out before the academic year starts. 

• The non-school leavers who applied straight to Gaulim Teachers College will have to check the college for the non-school leavers acceptance list 2024.
• As for the Grade 12 school leavers who applied through the National Online Application System (NOAS), check the higher education website for the DHERST Acceptance List 2024.

If you have any questions, check out this link for information on selection dates and acceptance lists for tertiary institutions in PNG.

About the college

Gaulim Teachers College is a National Institution providing teacher education for Primary School Teachers, also an Agency Institution of the United Church of Papua New Guinea. The teachers' college in the Gazelle District of East New Britain Province. 

Kokopo Business College Courses, Application Form and Admission Info

There are two academic departments at the moment. One is the Diploma Studies Department and the other is TTC Business Studies Department. The Diploma Studies Department offers Diploma courses while the TTC Business Studies Department offers certificate courses. Fi you want to study at Kokopo Business College, this article gives information on the Courses, Application Form and Admission.

Kokopo Business College Courses 

Currently, the college offers five full-time Diploma programmes in Business Studies, two certificate courses, Diploma foundation studies and a range of short courses. 

In 2009 the college introduces the National Certificate in Office Administration and Tour Guide on a modular basis followed by other courses on a modular basis in 2010. 

The National Certificate is Competency-Based Training from levels one to six that will be conducted parallel to the existing programmes.

5 Recommended Colleges: 

• Simbu Teachers College
• Gaulim Teachers College
• Madang Teachers College
• Somona Adventist College
• St Barnabas Nursing College

Diploma and certificate courses

The Diploma Studies Department offers a Diploma in Business Studies (Accounting), a Diploma in Business Studies (Office Administration) and Diploma in Business Studies (Computing), a Diploma in Business Studies (Management), and Diploma in Hospitality Management.

The duration of the course is two years for all diploma-level courses. Students complete four stages in order to be awarded a Diploma in Business Studies. 

A Certificate in Higher Technical Education in Business Studies is conveyed to students who successfully pass stage two of the course.

Jobs and Training offered at Kokopo Business College

The courses offered here are targeting middle levels jobs in the public and private sectors. After completing these courses students are employed. The new employees are placed on the job as a starter undergoing training on the job and later they can be placed in high-level positions. 

Some examples of starter’s job categories that our courses are focusing on include the following:

• Accounting Courses — Accounts Clerks, junior Accountants, Account Payable clerks, Cash Book Clerks,      Payroll Officers, Inventory Controllers, creditors/debtors clerks etc...
• Management — Marketing & sales executives or representatives, warehouse house clerks, Logistics officers, procurement officers, Human Resources officers, Recruitment officers, supervisors, trainee Managers and other broad job categories.
• Office Administration – Receptionists, executives secretaries, Sales & Marketing Representatives,      Purchasing Officers, Warehouse clerks, Production Planners, Human Resource Personals, etc...
• Business Computing — Software techniques, Computer software consultants, junior computer programmers, data entry clerks, business analysts etc.
• Hospitality and Tourism - Tour Guides, Travel Agents, Air Stewards and Hostesses, Waitress, Cooks, Hostel attendees, supervisors, trainee managers, airline ticket officers etc.

Kokopo Business College Acceptance List

The acceptance list for Holy Trinity Teachers College for non-school leavers and school leavers will come out before the academic year starts. 

• The non-school leavers who applied straight to Kokopo Business College will have to check the college for the non-school leaver's acceptance list 2024.
• As for the Grade 12 school leavers who applied through the National Online Application System (NOAS), check the higher education website for the DHERST Acceptance List 2024.

If you have any questions, check out this link for information on select dates and acceptance lists for tertiary institutions in PNG.

Contact Kokopo Business College

P.O.Box 504

Rabaul

East New Britain Province

Phone: 982 8556

Fax: 983 8557

How to get a  Kokopo Business College Application Form 2024?

Contact the student admin directly and ask for the application form to be sent to you. If you do not get a response, here are some suggestions to get an application form.

• Ask a friend/family in Kokopo to go to KCB and get an application form for you.
• Contact a student of KBC on Social Media and ask him/her to help you.
• Contact a Lecturer, tutor, registrar or employee of KBC to help you out.
• Visit  Kokopo Business College and get an application form.

You must use the official application form to apply. Make sure that the form has the recent date and year, college stamp, PNG Education Department Emblem and College Emblem.

General info for school leavers and non-school leavers

Some of this information (contact details, eligibility, attachments, etc) is provided on the application form, but here are five things that you should know. So, ask your Guidance teachers or the college registrar prior to applying to KBC these 5 questions.

• What is the CUT-OFF GPA for this year?
• Can I submit my college Application Online too?
• Who can I contact to know my Kokopo Business College Collection Selection list/status?
• From your experience, when will the Kokopo Business College 2024 Non-school Leavers selection list come out?
• What can I do if I am not selected?

These a questions that will help you to secure a place to study at  Kokopo Business College.

Please comment and let us know if you need help.

Study at St. Barnabas School of Nursing Alotau PNG

St. Barnabas School of Nursing is in Alotau Milne Bay Province Papua New Guinea. The Nursing College is run by the following mainline churches: Anglican, Catholic and United Church. The college was founded by the Anglican church-Dogura.

St. Barnabas School of Nursing Acceptance List 2024

The acceptance list for St Barnabas School of Nursing for non-school leavers and school leavers will come out before the academic year starts. 

• The non-school leavers who applied straight to St Barnabas School of Nursing must check the college for the non-school leavers' acceptance list 2024.
• As for the Grade 12 school leavers who applied through the National Online Application System (NOAS), check the higher education website for the DHERST Acceptance List 2024.

If you have any questions, check out this link for information on selection dates and acceptance lists for tertiary institutions in PNG.

5 Recommended Colleges for 2024: 

• Simbu Teachers College
• Gaulim Teachers College
• Madang Teachers College
• Sonoma Adventist College
• Kokopo Business College

Google Global Outage - Gmail and Services Not Working

 Google was not working for nearly an hour, globally. There are parts of the US and Europe still down at the time of this post. The reason is not known yet, however it seems like a global outage. 

The other outages occurred on in July, August and November. The 14th December outage is the fourth one this year.

The outage appeared to affect all of Google’s services: 

• Gmail, 
• Google Drive, 
• Blogger,
• YouTube
• Google Drive and
• Google Classroom.

Its other products were also experiencing issues. However, the Google search page was working as normal.

Google is aware of the problem and has this status message:

 “We're aware of a problem with Gmail affecting a majority of users. The affected users are unable to access Gmail. We will provide an update by 14 December, 12:12 PM detailing when we expect to resolve the problem. Please note that this resolution time is an estimate and may change.”

As mentioned earlier, the reason for the technical issue is not publicly known. This outage was the fourth major outage Google services users faced in 2020. The previous major outage had occurred in July, August and November.

Chinese Daru Island two major projects close to Australia

Papua New Guinea governments, both past and present, have said openly that they ‘want a free trade deal’ with China. The PNG government’s Look North’ investment policy seemed to have complimented China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The article was first published here. >>>  Chinese-Daru Island projects close to Australia

In recent years, PNG and China’s bilateral relationship was ‘friendly’, bolstered by the Chinese investments in infrastructure, mining and fisheries. The Chinese govt officials, businessmen, investors and its companies have been visiting PNG to talk business and make donations in kind during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Project 1: fishery base on Daru Island

The PNG government and a Chinese state-controlled company (Fujian Zhonghong Fishery) have agreed to deliver a $200 million fishery project on Daru Island. The island and its nearby waters are known for an abundance of fish and seafood. And controversially, too close to Australia. Understandably, questions have been asked about the location of the Chinese Fishery base near Australia.

An Australian, Jeffrey Wall, who was a former PNG government’s advisor said:

“In a remote and woefully underdeveloped community like Daru, a $200 million project will have a massive impact,”

“But the question that needs to be asked is simple: why Daru?”

Perhaps, it is clear that this deal can not be stopped. As a sovereign country, PNG would hardly be happy about Australia telling it to relocate the Chinese fishery company elsewhere.

Project 2: Chinese mining sand in Western Province

The Chinese have also shown interest in sand dredging – in fact, it’s sand mining – in the Western Province. The company, based in Hong Kong, has a Chinese owner. The company representatives jetted into Port Moresby, during the COVID-19 lockdown in a private plane, and held talks with PNG govt officials.

Interestingly, the investors visited when the other international flights were not allowed into the country. The visit was granted ‘special permission’ and allowed to enter amidst the strict COVID-19 shutdown measures.

The EMTV News reported that the Chinese owned company was granted a contract to dredge sand sediments along the Fly River at a cost of K80 million per month. That is close to spending K1 billion (K960 million) per year.

‘The sand-dredging company intends to invest 80 million Kina monthly in this project with no cost to the government [or Ok Tedi Mining]’. (re#1 EMTV News 29/10/2020)

The PNG government sees the project as the clean-up operation of the Fly River system where the Ok Tedi Mining and PNG govt would not spend any money during the cleaning of the river beds. This sounds too good to be true, right?

Here is what a senior PNG government minister said about the Chinese sand dredging venture close to Australia-PNG Border.

‘Well, they (China) have got to get rid of the wastes […] and they can take them (the wastes) away. We don’t want to know where they take them away to.’ (re#2 Wera Mori MP, EMTV News 29/10/2020)

The Chinese company knows the value of the sand wastes. It is now a case of ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ as far as PNG and China is concerned, it seems.

But, what about Australia in the big picture?

Chinese track record in the Pacific and politics

Politicians and diplomats in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific neighbours have a preconceived notion that China’s track record in the region is not good. The Australian Federal MP of the Torres Strait Island questions China’s intention:

“You only have to look at what China has done in other places in the Pacific to ask the question of whose best interest it is in,” he said.

“Is it in the best interest of the broader PNG community? I suspect not.” (re#3 MP Warren Entsch, Federal MP)

Daru Island: neglected, remote and underdeveloped

Neglected, remote and Underdeveloped.

These were the words of the commentators who saw the Chinese investments as a means to improve the life of the communities on the island. The Australian Media did not put it, plainly, that way. But it seems that Australia is happy if the underdeveloped Daru Island can remain without China stepping on its front doors.

The news reports from ABC News and Guardian have purported to the Chinese investments in Daru Island (and Western Province) as a threat to national security.

• As the Australia-China relationship deteriorates, a $200m PNG ‘fishery’ deal raises eyebrows ( re#4 ABC Laura Tingle)
• Chinese fishing plant in Torres Strait raises alarm for Australian industry and islanders ( re#5 Guardian Lillian Yang)

The inference was that there was nothing good on the Island of Daru, and no fish in a narrow strait like the Torres Strait. Why is China investing $200 million in Fishery and K80 million monthly there?

PNG govt strategic investment dream

The two projects (Chinese Fishery Base on Daru Island & Sand Dredging along the Fly River) are in favour of PNG’s strategic investment policy as far as trade and investment are concerned. China is happy to commit to investments in these two portfolios near the Australian border. It is a matter of time.

Australia is unlikely to stop the two deals. As a sovereign country, PNG would not be happy about Australia telling it what deals it can do, or not do with China.

The article was first published here. >>>  Chinese-Daru Island projects close to Australia

About PNG Insight

PNG Insight is an education and development blog. It aims to highlight the key developments in the education sector in Papua New Guinea. Started in 2014, PNG Insight strives to be a platform for critical thinking and discussions; and a source of information.

Follow us on Twitter

Grade 10 and 12 Students Population in PNG - Examination Data

Only 9,371 out of the 27,143 grade 12 students who applied for places in tertiary institutions for next year have been accepted.

Given the workings of the formal education system, 17,772 students (about 67 per cent) will be left out to fend for themselves.

This year, a total of 30,000 students from 188 secondary and the six national high schools sat the grade 12 national exams.

While, the PNG Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology secretary Fr Jan Czuba blamed the poor grades on the Covid-19 which forced disruption to the school year, the high number of students being pushed out of this career path keeps increasing.

Why should it be the same old story again of parents bemoaning their children’s lack of luck and sense of failure and being not good enough? Only a few thousand will proceed to the next level of education, as dictated by the education system’s type of natural selection, where the most academically fit to survive and proceed to another stage of schooling.

The education sector will continue to experience problems at all levels from elementary to tertiary.

These problems in part are unavoidable for a developing economy such as PNG.

In pre-independence times, the challenge the colonial government faced was building up the ranks of skilled workers among the local population to eventually take over the Australian administration.

The challenge then was really about getting as many of the best and brightest students to study and train to become the nation’s first administrators and managers as well as filling in the other positions in society in health, education, industry and so on.

But in today’s time, it is the other way around.

There are a lot more students, many of them bright, capable and keen to learn to better themselves, but they are faced with a range of challenges, one of which is the limited number of spaces available.

With the bottleneck forming at the university/college level, the system has responded with a quota system to deal with the space problem.

This quota system has been achieved twofold.

First, there is the grade point average system and then there are the selection criteria in which students, in their year 12 school lever form, pick their top-three preferred institutions.

The first choice is a luxury in this country and it’s so critical and that’s not our control.

It has come to a stage where the second and third choices can no longer earn you space in a tertiary institution.

It is clear that the number of learning institutions simply cannot accommodate the growing ranks of students pouring into the secondary and tertiary levels on a yearly basis.

As far as absorbing the thousands of graduates from the secondary level is concerned, the reality on the ground is grim.

The rest of these school-leavers are left to fend for themselves either in the job market or in private education institutions – if they can afford it.

The problem is clear but the solutions are not so easy to come by.

It will be interesting to see what the Government can come up within the next two years to address this.

Source: The National 

2020 Ranking of 15 Top Performing Secondary and High Schools in PNG

The Papua New Guinea Department of Education released the country’s  2020 Ranking of 15 Top Performing Secondary and High Schools. The performance-based ranking was based on Grade 10 and Grade 12 internal (school-based) and Final Examinations for the year 2020. 

The Education Secretary made the announcement during an NCD (National Capital District) school heads and education officers conference at Gateway Hotel on 10/12/2020.

The Grade 10 and 12 results are based on the Grade 12 and Grade 10 examination (external) and school-based (internal) results. Click here for this year's rank.

Grade 10: Top 15 Secondary and High Schools

This year (2020) the top-performing secondary and high schools are given the top 15 Rank. This rank does not include the National High Schools, Private & International Schools. Also, unlike the previous years, there is no award for the 'most improved schools'. 

(Schools' performance arranged in reverse order)

1. 15. Jubilee Secondary School NCD
2. 14. Lae Secondary School
3. 13. Malala Secondary School
4. 12. James Charmers Memorial Secondary School
5. 11. Oksapmin High School
6. 10. Kundiawa Lutheran Day Secondary School Simbu
7. 9. Mt Hagen Secondary School WHP
8. 8. Mercy Secondary School
9. 7. De La Salle Secondary School
10. 6. Vanimo Secondary School Sandaun
11. 5. Marianville Secondary School NCD
12. 4. Manus Secondary School Manus
13. 3. Cameron Secondary School Milne Bay
14. 2. Busu Secondary School Morobe
15. 1. Charles Lwanga Secondary School NCD

Recommended: Read about the Grade 9 selection to high and secondary schools

Grade 12: Top Performing National High Schools in 2020 

We published the NHS ranking in an earlier post (video). You can find out the ranks of the 6 NHS  here: National High Schools Ranking

Grade 12: Top 15 Performing Secondary Schools in 2020

The top 15 secondary schools are compared among the system schools. The video has the full list. Here is the top 15 schools with very high students' performances in Grade 10 examinations. (Check out the video for the original declaration of the 2020 TOP 15 Performing Secondary Schools in PNG, made by the Education Secretary)

(Schools' performance arranged in reverse order)

1. 15 St Marys Asitavi Secondary School AROB
2. 14 Paglum Adventist Secondary School WHP
3. 13 Jubilee Catholic  Secondary School NCD
4. 12 Sacred Heart Tapini Secondary School Central
5. 11 Kerowagi Secondary School Simbu
6. 10 Tokarara Secondary School NCD
7. 9 Lihir Secondary School New Ireland
8. 8 Lae Secondary School Morobe
9. 7 De La Salle Secondary School NCD
10. 6 Cameroon Secondary School Milne Bay
11. 5 Charles Lwanga Secondary School NCD
12. 4 Busu Secondary School  Morobe
13. 3 St Ingatius Secondary School West Sepik
14. 2 Mt Hagen Secondary School  WHP
15. 1 Marianville Secondary School  NCD

Check out the video above for the declaration of the top schools in PNG in 2020.

Leave a comment if you have any questions or follow us on Twitter or YouTube for information on Education and Development in the country. 

2021 Top Performing National High Schools in PNG

List National High Schools in PNG

Many people ask how many national high schools are in PNG at present. There are 6 national high schools (now called the National Schools of Excellence or NSoE) are:

• Aiyura National Schools of Excellence, 
• Kerevat National Schools of Excellence, 
• Port Moresby National Schools of Excellence, 
• Passam National Schools of Excellence, 
• Wawin National Schools of Excellence and 
• Sogeri National Schools of Excellence.

Check out the complete ranks of all the TOP SCHOOLS in PNG.

2021 PNG National High School Ranking

In 2021 the ranking, there was a slight shift in the ranking. Note that the ranks are indications of the performances of the 6 National Schools of Excellence (formally National High Schools) performance in the Grade 12 National Examinations in 2021.

Passam and Port Moresby National High Schools maintain the top places at No. 1 and No.2 as the 2021 performing school of excellence in PNG.

Here is the rank from the top-performing NSoE:

1. Passam, 
2. Port Moresby,
3. Wawin, 
4. Kerevat, 
5. Aiyura, and
6. Sogeri.

Wawin National High School improved massively in 2021 ranks.

2020 PNG NHS Ranking

Here is the ranking for the 6 NHS in the country, the video below is the declaration of the performance rank of the 6 NHS in reverse order (the ranking was for NHS only).

The ranking was announced during the heads of schools and education divisions conference at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby on the 10th of December 2020.

1. Passam
2. Port Moresby 
3. Kerevat
4. Sogeri 
5. Aiyura, and
6. Wawin

Check out the Top 15 Secondary and High Schools Performance Rank here: 

Leave a comment if you have any questions or follow us on Twitter or YouTube for information on Education and Development in the country.