Area	total: 462,840 sq km (178,703 sq mi) land: 452,860 sq km water: 9,980 sq km
Capital	Port Moresby
Largest city	Port Moresby 289,900 (2006)
Other large cities	Lae (Morobe, 75,600), Arawa (on Bougainville, 40,300), Mount Hagen (Western Highlands, 34,900), Popondetta (Oro, 30,400), Mendi (Southern Highlands, 28,600), Kokopo (on New Britain, 27,700), Madang (Madang, 27,300), Kimbe (on New Britain, 19,800), Goroka (Eastern Highlands, 18,400), Wewak (East Sepik, 17,900), Bulolo (Morobe, 16,800), Wau (Morobe, 15,800), Daru (Fly river, 15,700), Kavieng (on New Ireland, 15,100), Vanimo (Sandaun, 11,500), Rabaul (on New Britain, 7,800).
Climate	Tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation. Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills.
Time Difference	UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

 

Government type	constitutional parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Head of State	Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by the Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane. Head of Government: Prime minister: Sir Michael Somare.
Independence	16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship)
Constitution	16 September 1975
Legal system	based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal
Administrative divisions	18 provinces, 1 autonomous region*, and 1 district**; Bougainville*, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital**, New Ireland, Northern, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain

 

Telephones - main lines in use (2008)	60,000
Telephones - mobile cellular (2008)	600,000
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants	N/A
Broadband Internet subscribers per 100 inhabitants	N/A
Telephone system (2008)	general assessment: services are minimal; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services domestic: access to telephone services is not widely available; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is 11 per 100 persons international: submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service
International dialling code	+675
Internet domain	.pg
Internet hosts (2010)	4,285
Internet users (2008)	120,000
Internet users per 100 inhabitants	N/A
Computers per 100 inhabitants	N/A
TV sets per 100 people	N/A

Early habitation dates back to approximately 60,000 years ago with the development of small rural societies at that time. Upon contact with Europeans, the indigenous peoples had developed a complex agricultural civilisation based on bone, wood and stone.

The first visitors were the Spanish in 1545, followed later by the Germans, who took formal possession of the northern part of the eastern half of the main island while Britain took control of the southern half. During World War I, Australian troops took control of the whole eastern half and continued administering this territory until the Japanese invasion in 1941. Bitter fighting in PNG resulted in over 100,000 deaths in the warring parties.

Following World War II, Australia continued to administer PNG as part of an international trusteeship system. The creation of a judiciary, public service and legislature gradually took place with preparation towards independence, which was eventually granted in 1975.

The recent era is marked by political unrest and allegations of corruption. An uprising on the island of Bougainville in 2002 saw Australia provide large numbers of police to quell the gang violence that had ensued. While this measure was successful, after a year it was ruled by PNG that this peace keeping police force was unconstitutional and, as a result, Australia withdrew the policing mission. Relations with Australia have been strained by this incident, but PNG is still a large recipient of aid from Australia.

a)    School education

Education in PNG, particularly secondary education, is a privilege that many do not enjoy. Adult literacy rates are at approximately 57%, reflecting this low level of educational opportunity. Most schools are run by private providers, mainly church groups. While there are nine years of compulsory education, commencing at age six, only about three quarters of students in this age range are enrolled in school. In secondary schools, the statistic is even less with only one quarter of students enrolled. The general model of education is 2-6-4-2.

Pre-Primary Level

There are a number of private kindergarten operators.

Primary Level

Attendance at Primary education in the urban areas is stronger than the outlying and remote areas.

Secondary Level

Around 24% of students attend years 7-10 at secondary school.

Non-Government Schools

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea operates 500 schools and is a major educational provider. Other church groups also operate secondary schools, but there are only a small number of government run secondary schools in operation.

b)    Vocational education and training (VET)

Twenty-six vocational training centres operate in PNG to prepare students for careers in a wide range of different types of employment.

c)     Higher education

Pre-Tertiary and Tertiary Education

There are six universities in PNG of which four are government run and the remaining two are privately operated. Programs offered include: medicine, pharmacy, health sciences, physical and natural sciences, humanities, law, business and social sciences. Complementing these are a host of institutes of higher education and academies. Together, these are:

Balob Teachers College

Catholic Theological Institute, Bomana

Chanel College, Kokopo,East New Britain

Christian Leaders Training College, Banz, Western Highlands

Divine Word University, Madang

Kandep Provincial High School, Wabag

Goroka Baptist Bible College

Institute of Business Studies, Port Moresby, NCD

Kudjip College of Nursing, WHP (also known asNazarene College of Nursing)

Madang Teachers College

Madang University Centre

Melanesian Nazarene Bible College, Western Highlands

Pacific Adventist University, Boroko, NCD

Pacific Bible College, Pabrabuk, Nebilyer, Western Highlands

Papua New Guinea University of Technology (Unitech), Lae

Port Moresby Business College, Port Moresby, NCD

Tambul Bible College, Tambul, Western Highlands

University of Goroka, Goroka, Eastern Highlands

University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, NCD

Recent moves to improve the provision of internet access and the development of online programs has catalyzed the Papua New Guinea Academic and Research Network (PNGARNET). This is operated by a consortium of public and private tertiary institutions and overseen by the Vice Chancellors Committee. It is a satellite-based model with the hub in Hong Kong, necessary given the terrain, remoteness and relative seismic activity in the region.

Overview of Distance Education

Papua New Guinea has a long history of distance education, dating back to the pre-Independence period. The College of Distance Education (CODE) provided secondary education using correspondence-based distance education as long ago as 1956. CODE had a critical role in training the first generation of PNG civil servants.

The University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) Department of Extension Studies (DES) was established in 1974. Distance student numbers at UPNG were small until the 1990s, when a rapid increase began. As a reflection of this change, the DES became the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) in 1994. Total distance education (DE) enrolments reached 14,632 in 1999. During the last decade, UPNG has continued to expand its distance education programs. In 2009, it launched its first overseas Open Campus: at Honiara in the Solomon Islands.

The second PNG university to enter the distance education marketplace was the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUOT). This institution began providing DE-based matriculation courses in 1993. The PNGUOT’s first university level distance education course was a Diploma in Commerce (Accounting), which was offered initially in 1996. In recent years, distance education has become an increasingly important part of the PNG education system. A number of private and public universities have entered the distance education market or are poised to do so. These recent initiatives are detailed below.

A major distance education provider at the secondary school level is Flexible Open and Distance Education (FODE), the former College of Distance Education.  FODE offers correspondence-based distance education programs aimed at:

• students in Grades 6 to 8 in remote schools.
• students wishing to complete Grade 9 and 10 education through distance education.
• school leavers wishing to complete secondary diploma/certificate equivalency programs for tertiary entry.

Across PNG, FODE has 20 Provincial Centres, as well as 25 Affiliated Study Centres. FODE has an active enrolment of 46,000 students.

In 2011, the World Bank provided funding of US $6 million for the period 2011–16 to increase the number of out-of-school youth completing secondary programs through FODE. As part of this project, the FODE's Grade 11-12 enrolment program will be established in at least one secondary school in each of Papua New Guinea's twenty provinces.

FODE is not the only provider of distance education at the secondary level. The Papua New Guinea University of Technology has a correspondence-based High School Certificate Program delivered across PNG. PNGUOT has a network of 28 Study Centres across PNG providing support for the Program.

The International Training Institute (ITI) is a private training college specialising in diploma-level business and IT programs. The ITI has run distance education courses for almost a decade, using correspondence and email. ITI has a flexible distance education model. There are no formal deadlines. Learners can sit exams at any time after enrolment or submit assignments after the end of the standard 17 weeks training period.

The Professional Staff Training Centre (STC) has offered a distance learning program since 2004. The STC provides the full range of Cambridge International College programs. However, most enrolments are in diploma-level courses in business, tourism and related fields.

A number of PNG universities now have established distance education programs, some of which date back many years. The major provider remains the UPNG. The UPNG offers the following distance education programs:

Certificate in Tertiary and Community Studies (CTCS)

Diploma in Commerce

Bachelor of Commerce

Bachelor of Management in Public Policy Management

Bachelor of Science (First year only)

Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies

Bachelor of Nursing.

The administration of the UPNG’s distance education program rests with the Open College, the former IDCE. The Open College is responsible for the running of UPNG’s 10 Open Campuses and 22 Provincial Centres.

At present, the teaching of distance education courses is based on printed teaching materials and face-to-face tutorials at Open Campuses and Study Centres. Audio cassettes and CD-ROMS are also used in some courses.

Another PNG institution with an established DE distance education tradition is the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUOT). At present, the majority of distance education enrolments are at secondary school level, the Diploma in Commerce (Accounting) being phased out some years ago.

The University of Goroka began offering in-service degree-level programs using Distance and Flexible Learning (DFL) in 2010. This step followed the establishment of a School of Distance and Flexible Learning. The courses available were in the fields of Primary Education, Secondary Education and Educational Administration & Leadership.

The Divine Word University is a Catholic-affiliated private university with a growing distance education program. The University’s Faculty of Flexible Learning (FFL) offers the following courses:

Diploma in Management

Diploma in Project Management

Diploma in Management/Media

Diploma in Human Resource Management

Diploma/Certificate in Workplace Training and Development

Bachelor of Management

In association with other Divine Word Faculties, the FFL offers

Advanced Diploma in Emergency Medicine

Diploma in School Management and Leadership

TQUP Diploma in Teaching

Bachelor of Disability Studies

Bachelor of Educational Studies

Bachelor of Special Education

TQUP Postgraduate Diploma in Education

Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching and Learning

Master of Education (Curriculum)

Master of Educational Leadership

Master of Leadership in Business Administration

Master of Social Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Like a growing number of distance education providers in the Pacific, the Divine Word University uses the Moodle LMS for the delivery of online education.

2003-2006 was a period of expansion for PNG’s distance and technology enhanced learning systems. There were significant advances on the institutional front with PNG participating in the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC), establishing the Papua New Guinea Association of Distance Education (PNGADE) and also being part of the Pacific Islands Regional Association of Distance Education (PIRADE).

PNG Higher Education institutions face many challenges, including: constraints to public funding; poor physical facilities; inadequate information technology, libraries, equipment and teaching resources; outdated curriculum; poor student services and amenities; problems with recruitment and retention of teaching staff; problems with preparation of students for entry to university; safety issues and other barriers for female students; administrative and management weaknesses; and =limited research capacity.

Administration and Finance

Following the establishment of the provincial government system in 1978, Papua New Guinea had a highly decentralized education system. The decentralized laws gave the provinces responsibilities including planning, financing, staffing and maintaining general education institutions up to Grade 12. This includes pre-school, elementary, primary, secondary and vocational schools.

PNG’s University system comprises six accredited universities1, plus the Commission for Higher Education and the Office of Higher Education, supervised by the Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology. The Commission consists of seven government-appointed, non-salaried commissioners and a chairman. The Chairman of the Commission is appointed by the National Executive Council for a term of five (5) years whilst the commissioners are appointed for a term of three (3) years (as required by the Higher Education Act). The commissioners are appointed on the basis of their experience in higher education, administration, planning, legal and commercial, including female representatives and representatives from church agencies. Each Commissioner (other than the Chairman) has an alternate commissioner who is appointed in the same way and subject to the same conditions.

The PNG Government funds the four public universities’ salaries, entitlements and some infrastructure. The two private universities receive government scholarships and Divine Word University receives some additional funding. Government budgetary support for universities has deteriorated in real value since the 1980s, with allocations declining even more relative to population. The Government encourages universities to raise revenue from student fees, research and consultancies and PNG’s National Plan for Higher Education II foreshadows the Government’s intention to see universities self-funded.

PNG is currently developing a range of national strategic plans that will inform and guide the future direction of the sector. These include the National Strategic Plan, new medium and long term development strategies and sectoral plans, such as the National Higher Education Plan (2010-30).

Higher Education Reforms

PNG’s Higher Education sector has made important gains in recent years including the introduction of national guidelines for institutional accreditation, improvements to the Tertiary Education Scholarship Assistance Scheme, increasing gender balance of students, and diversification of academic programs offered.

The reform of higher education is not currently an issue of pressing concern to PNG policy-makers. The challenges faced by tertiary providers are less pressing than the worsening crisis in the delivery of basic education. In practice, significant higher education reforms will probably need to wait the resolution of more pressing reforms to the PNG civil service.

Future Direction of Tertiary Education

The PNG Government’s Vision 2050 implies a substantial growth in the higher education system. For some years, the Government supported the expansion of distance and flexible learning approaches in the university sector. This official enthusiasm accords with the trends at a number of universities, and is expected to continue.

Information and Communications Technology Initiatives

a)    Information society strategy

The opportunities for using ICT in distance learning in Papua New Guinea are huge. However, the lack of basic services, such as good roads, good communication services and electricity, prevents widespread use of ICT in distance learning.

Like many other Pacific nations, PNG has long had a telecommunications regime dominated by a single monopoly provider (Telikom). In recent years, the country has moved towards deregulation, granting two new mobile licenses in 2007. Despite growing deregulation, the country’s ICT capacity is low, even by Pacific standards. Levels of ICT penetration and teledensity are extremely low, and much ground remains to be made up. Even now, the majority of rural schools lack reliable electricity and school ICT infrastructures are often non-existent.

There have been signs of progress in recent progress. In 2008, PNG’s first ICT Syllabus document was written: the ICT Syllabus for Upper Secondary Grades (Grade 11- 12). This document was the result of a syllabus writing workshop in Madang funded by the Australian Government. Over recent years, secondary schools in different parts of PNG have begun to implement this Syllabus, a process which represents a major step forward.

b)    Major e-learning initiatives

Papua New Guinea joined the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative in 2008. A number of pilot deployments have taken place in recent years.

c)     Benchmarking e-learning

None identified.

d)    Support for OER

Papua New Guinea is part of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) sponsored by the Commonwealth of Learning. The VUSSC has the creation of OER as one of its major program goals.

e)    Government entities

Ministry of Education

National Training Council (NTC)

Office of Higher Education

f)      Associations and networks

Pacific Association of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (PATVET)

Pacific Regional Initiative for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE)

Papua New Guinea Academic and Research Network (PNGARNet)

g)    Distance education journals

None identified.

Interesting Distance Education Initiatives

In 2010, the Divine Word University become the first higher education institution in the Pacific to provide free netbook computers to its students. The Dell Latitude netbook computers were initially issued to third and fourth-year degree students. Each computer included not only Windows 7, but also licensed copies of Microsoft Office 2007 Professional and Microsoft Project 2007 Professional. The goal of the DWU’s laptop initiative is to provide students with 24/7 access to the University’s Moodle LMS and other electronic resources. Even in the developed world, such an initiative would be unusual. For such a project to be undertaken by a small private university in PNG is testimony to the willingness of the institution to stand on the leading edge of educational technology.

The Ministry of Education has overall responsibility for the regulation of education in PNG. Within the Ministry, there are a number of bodies with specific competencies. The National Training Council (NTC) is responsible for the accreditation of private and public sector TVET providers. The NTC is in the process of establishing National Qualification Framework (NQF), which will form the basis for curriculum development and skill standards in the TVET sector. The Office of Higher Education (OHE) administers higher education in the country.

Each PNG university is established by a separate Act of Parliament.

a)    International regulatory and policy frameworks

The USP is a member of the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN). The USP is also a member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE).

Education for All (EFA)

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

United Nations Literacy Decade

UNESCO’s Four Pillars of Education

United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)

b)    Regional agreements and policy

Pacific Islands Forum Basic Education Action Plan (FBEAP)

Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE) Project

Pacific Education for Sustainable Development Framework

Pacific Education Development Framework (PEDF) 2009-2015

The Pacific Plan (the Pacific Plan Task Force is managed by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General)

Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC)

Secretariat of the Pacific Board of Education Assessment (SPBEA)

c)     National regulations and policy

Divine Word University Act (1999)

Higher Education Act (1983)

University of Goroka Act (1997)

University of Papua New Guinea Act (1983)

University of Vudal Act (1997)

Guidelines for Institutional Accreditation 2002

Draft Higher Education Bill 2009

National Higher Education Plan II 2010

National Higher Education Plan III 2010

Development Strategic Plan (2010 - 2030)

Medium Term Development Plan (2011 - 2015)

Vision 2050

Gender Equity Strategic Plan 2009-2014

GENDER EQUITY IN EDUCATION POLICY Guidelines for Implementation

TVET Policy

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS Progress Report for Papua New Guinea 2004

Achieving a better future A NATIONAL PLAN FOR EDUCATION 2005 - 2014

d)    State/District regulations and policy

None relevant.

e)    University policies

The Office of Higher Education (OHE) is committed to improving the environment for tertiary education in the country. As part of this process, the OHE is engaged in the development of the National Quality Framework (NQF) and the formulation of quality assurance systems for higher education institutions. In addition, the OHE plans to strengthen bilateral relationships in the fields of quality assurance and to improve the Higher Education Management Information System.

The following major institutional and national factors have not only contributed significantly to what has been only a very marginal increase in the overall quality (course design and delivery) and growth of university-level distance and flexible learning (DFL) programs and courses in PNG since 2000, but also need to be addressed if significant progress is to be made in future:

•   Pedagogical models that separate course development from course delivery (whereas good instructional design considers them to be intrinsically linked, course delivery being addressed in the course development process)

•   Pedagogical models that require instructors to deliver the same course in two different modes (face-to-face and via DE) to a combined cohort of students

•   Organizational models, at institutional levels, that are overly dependent on traditional, full-time academic staff whose first teaching allegiance is to their face-to- face students, and who often consider developing and delivering DFL as an insufficiently rewarded, inadequately supported, even annoying responsibility

•   Organizational models that do not encourage or facilitate the development of labour- market driven programming

•   DFL models that are driven by an institution’s financial needs rather than those of off-campus learners

•   Financial arrangements between central administrations and DFL units that allow for insufficient predictability, flexibility and responsibility in the DE units if they are to provide optimal course materials and learning opportunities for their students, varied and expanded traditional programming, innovative new programs that are responsive to the labour market, sound, long term financial planning

•   Absence of dedicated manpower and staffing in the OHE

•   Governmental and institutional budgeting and reporting that do not draw attention to the special role of DFL in the HE system

•   Inaction, or very slow progress, on key policy areas related to DFL: out of country providers; quality assurance for accredited institutions; transfer credit; program and course credit structures

•   Regulations that prevent DFL students from accessing equitable scholarship and other financial support schemes available to on-campus students

•   An underdeveloped ICT infrastructure to enable effective electronic communications between distance learners and instructors, and learning centres and main campuses.