Education in Papua New Guinea

Based on 2021 data, the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) finds that Papua New Guinea is fulfilling 63.5% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to education based on the country's level of income. HRMI breaks down the right to education by looking at the rights to both primary education and secondary education. While taking into consideration Papua New Guinea's income level, the nation is achieving 96.5% of what should be possible based on its resources (income) for primary education and only 40.6% for secondary education.

History

The first school in Papua New Guinea was established in 1873 by English missionaries. Missionaries would continue providing the basis for education, with English and German as primary languages. In 1914, as part of World War I, Australia took control over German New Guinea and English became the sole official language.

The Currie Commission was created in 1964 to investigate the establishment of higher education in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. In 1965 the first university in Papua New Guinea, the University of Papua New Guinea, was established. It was heavily influenced by the Australian education system.

In 1995, the government of Papua New Guinea implemented a bilingual education program that uses both community languages and English.

Education in Papua New Guinea has been tuition-free since 2012, as one of the election promises of the People's National Congress. This policy was cancelled in 2019 under Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's government, however, PM James Marape announced in 2021 that his government would re-institute the policy starting in 2022.