1. 1
VSO Papua New Guinea
Out of school youth in Papua New Guinea
Situational Analysis & Program Recommendations
Author: Richard Tate
2015

2. 2
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................... 2
Acronyms.....................................................................................................................................4
Background to the situational analysis........................................................................................... 4
Key questions............................................................................................................................... 5
Methodology................................................................................................................................ 6
Findings .......................................................................................................................................7
1. Literature Review of Policy and Existing Research................................................................ 7
2. Keyinformantinterviews................................................................................................. 11
3. Data Analysis................................................................................................................... 13
4. Stakeholder..................................................................................................................... 18
Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations......................................................................... 19
1. Potential Partner Organisations........................................................................................ 21
2. Donors............................................................................................................................ 22
3. How can young people who drop out of the formal education system be best supported? .. 23
Conclusions:............................................................................................................................... 24
1. Key observations............................................................................................................. 24
Appendices ................................................................................................................................ 25
Bibiography...................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Executive Summary
Introduction
In Q1 of 2015 VSOwere keen toengage ina detailedresearchprojectto formthe knowledge base
for newprogramme design workingwithlocal partners onthe challengesfacing outof school ‘youth’
inPapua NewGuinea.
Althoughseveral factorswere lookedatduringthe researchphase, aninitial emphasiswasseton
identifyingthe reasons youngpeopledonotcomplete aprimaryeducationaswell ashighlighting
the challengesfacinggirlsandyoungwomeninthe formal educationsector.
SpecificallyVSOhave beenworkingtoidentify the mainreasonsforyoungpeople droppingoutof
the educationsystemandtolocate areas where we feel ourskilledvolunteerscanhelptoimprove
thissituationthroughtheirtechnical expertise,targetedcapacitybuildingandskillssharingwith
local partnerorganisations.

3. 3
The work includedgatheringgoodqualityandreliable data,identifyingthe relevantGovernment
ministries, civil societyorganisations,buildingacontactdatabase and the mapping the people and
partnerorganisations/institutionsworkingwithinthisarea.
In orderto addressthe growingproblemof outof school youthinthiscountry itwas importantto
firstof all establishaclearpicture anddefinitionof whatwe mean by‘youth’inPapuaNew Guinea
before goingonto designprogrammes of worktoaddressthe problemsrevealed.
Workingalongside the EducationTeamandvolunteersatVSO a targetedapproach was developed
to the initial researchwhich includedclearidentificationand analysisof the problemof why young
people are notcompletingaformal educationandsome of the mainreasonsforthishappening.
Thisreportwill highlightrecommendedstakeholderswithwhichVSOcouldformaworking
partnershipandbuildrobustandsustainable volunteerprogrammesof worktoaddressthe growing
problemof youngpeople droppingoutof education.
Key findings
In 2015, Papua NewGuineahas more than 600,000 children outof education accordingto the Prime
Ministerandthe National StatisticsOffice.
In fact,according to several experts whowere interviewedduringthisresearchproject, the true
numberislikelytobe higherthanthis as bothpopulation dataandmethodsof statistical collection
inPapua NewGuineaare notoriouslyunreliableandoftenestimated.
Thisresearchhas revealedthatitislikely acrossall of PapuaNew Guinea’s22 provincesthatthere
may be as many childrenwhoare notattendingfull time formal educationinstitutions(5daysper
week) orwhoare outof school altogetherascomparedtothe numberof children actuallyattending
school full time.
Alongside thisdiscovery ithasrecentlybeenfoundina 2014 data gatheringprojectconductedby
PEPE (PromotingEffective PublicExpenditure) andsupportedbyDFATthatthere isstatistical
evidence of increasing pupilabsenteeismratesfromschool withinPNGespeciallyamongstgirlsand
youngwomen.
Key headline findings
1. There are consistentlyaround11% more malesthan femalesineducationacross grades 3
to 8.
2. The disparitybetweenmalesand femalesin educationrisesabove 20% insecondary
school.
3. The largest single pupil dropoutrate for school childrenin PNG is duringthe transition
from primary to secondaryschool betweengrades8 and grade 9.
4. Genderequalityinattendance rates is dramatically improvedwhena distance learning
methodis adopted with femalesoftenoutnumberingmales.
5. The vast majority of research projectsand programmesof work to address youth issuesin
PNG have beenconductedin urban centres rather than rural areas where the majority of
the populationinhabits.
6. There are 8 provincesin PNG which perform consistentlypoorlyacross nearly all of the
educationstatistical data records.
7. There is a clear and definedrequirementforVSOvolunteersto be deployedinthis fieldof
work.
8. There is a positive and expandingdonorenvironmentfor this type of developmentworkin
Papua New Guinea.

4. 4
Recommendations
It has longbeenknownthatthere isa clearcorrelationbetweenlow educationlevelsandincreasing
amountsof poverty.
As VSO’score missionistoeradicate worldpovertythroughvolunteersthishasformedthe rationale
behindthisresearchreport.
Thisreportaims to identifyanddisplaythe core issueswhichare leadingtothe problemof outof
school youthinPNG.
Thisshall include recommendationsfororganisations/institutionswithwhichVSOmightform
workingpartnershipsinordertoprovide volunteerswheretheywillhave the biggestpositive impact
to ultimate beneficiaries.
The report will alsosummarise the key findingsdiscoveredduringthe researchphase of thisproject
and provide the readerwithasoundgeneral understandingof the national pictureof youthacross
PapuaNewGuinea.
Thiswill provide guidancetobothVSOstaff and volunteersas well aspartnerorganisationsastothe
directionof developmentrequirementsforfuture programme designandinterventionprojects.
Acronyms
DFAT – Departmentof ForeignAffairsandTrade
FODE – FlexibleOpenDistance Education
GoPNG – Governmentof PapuaNewGuinea
NCDC– National Capital DistrictCommission
NGO – Non governmentorganisation
NLAS– National LibrariesandArchives Secretariat
NYDA – National YouthDevelopmentAuthority
OOSCI – OutOf School Children’sInitiative
PNG – Papua NewGuinea
POM– PortMoresby (Capital Cityof PapuaNew Guinea)
TVET - Technical andvocational educationandtraining
UN – UnitedNations
UNESCO - UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCultural Organization
UNICEF – UnitedNationsInternational Children'sEmergencyFund
UYEP – Urban YouthEmploymentProject
VSO– VoluntaryService Overseas
Background to the situational analysis
The two followingstatementsare writtenin the VSOCountry Plan for Papua NewGuinea2011-
2015;
‘Inthe educationsectorourmainpriorityisto supportthe implementationof Universal Basic
Educationso that all childreninPNGcomplete nineyearsof free,qualityeducation.
We are buildingonourexistingeducationprogrammeswhichaddressthe qualityof educationand
educationmanagementinelementary,primaryandsecondaryschools.’
‘Our educationgoalsalsosupportthe inclusionof children andyoungpeople withdisabilities,
buildingonourworkwith special educationcentresanddisabilitypartnerorganisations.

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In addition,we are exploringsupportforpartnerswhoprovide traininginliteracy,numeracyand
vocational skillstothe many youngpeople whohave never completedabasiceducationand lackthe
skillstoearna living.’
This study had the following objectives:
 Researchandanalyse the problemof youngpeople whohave notcompletedaformal
education
 Map the donors,civil societyorganisationsandGovernmentservicesworkinginthisarea
 Builda contact listof organisationsandpeople workinginthissector
 Produce a situational analysisreportwhichanalysesavailableandcontextuallyrelevantdata
 Designprojectswhichaddressthe core problemswhichthe researchhighlights
The purpose of thisstudywas to gaina solid understandingof the situation,needsandopportunities
aroundout-of-school youthaspartof expandingVSOPNG’seducationprogram inPapuaNew
Guinea.
The researchwas to pay particularattentiontolocatingthe mostvulnerable groupsof youngpeople
aroundthe countryand those whohave notcompletedafull primary education.
Thisresearchis intendedto providesolidbaseline information forVSOtodesignandimplement
targetedprogrammesof workwhichcan positivelyaddressthe mainissueshighlighted.
Key questions
The followingkey questionsguidedthe situational analysisandstakeholdermapping:
Policyand Government+ Definitionof‘Youth’
1. What isthe national PNGGovernment policyforyouth?
2. WhichGovernmentDepartmentisresponsible for youthdevelopment?
3. Is there anyrecentlegislationorupcomingamendmentstoexistingpolicy?
4. Where does youthfitwiththe national strategicplans?
5. What doesthe VSO, UN, Governmentof PNGandDFAT define as ‘youth’?(Age range?)
Data – National Statistics – Departmentof Education Census+ UNICEF
1. How manyyoungpeople are supposedtocomplete Grade 8 exam?
2. How manysitthe Grade 8 exam?
3. How manyreallycomplete primaryschool?
4. How manyyoungpeople completeagrade 12 exam?
5. What isthe student% survival rate upto Grade 5?
6. What isthe gendersplit?
7. Those that don’tcomplete aformal education –Where have theygone?(Backto village?/
Urbanised?)
8. Where are the largeststudentdropoutnumbersappearinginthe educationsystem?
9. What are the mainreasonsfor studentsdroppingoutof school?
Potential Partner Organisations
1. Have there beenanylarge scale youth projectsor programmes?

6. 6
2. Whendidthese happen?Are there anycurrent projectsrunningnow?
3. Who ran or is runningthese projects?
4. Is VSOinternationalalreadyworkinginthisarea globally?
5. What keyareasare these projectsfocussingon?
6. What otherNGO’sor organisationsare there workingon youthinternationally?
7. Where are these organisationslocated?(PNG?)
ExistingInstitutions/OrganisationsinPNG
1. FODE – Howare theycurrently operatinginPNG?
2. Whichchurchesare active inthisarena? (Dotheyhave projectsrunning?)
Donor organisations
1. Can we identify5+ large/mediumsizeddonorswhofund youthengagementwork?
2. What type of fundingdotheyoffer?(restricted/unrestricted/institutional/private)
3. What isthe focuson donorsinthisarea? – Growingor shrinkingarea?
4. Is there GovernmentorDFATfundingforthistype of work?
Methodology
The methodselectedtoaddressthe questionsmade use of three typesof data gathering.
 Qualitative –keyinformantinterviews.
 Literature review - available reportsandresearchpapers.
 Quantitative - officialstatistical datasources.
When
The collectionof dataand informationforthisreporthasbeengatheredwithinatwomonthtime
periodbetweenFebruaryandthe endof April 2015.
What
The methodschosenforthe gatheringof informationinthisreportconsistedof:
 Semi structuredface to face interviews
 Pre-arrangedphone call interviews
 Indirectandrandomisedinterviews
 Skype interview/conversations
Who
As the issuesof youthaffectthe whole populationitwasimportanttotry and gatherinformation
froma varietyof sourceswhowere reflective of all societal groupswithinPNG.
Thisresearchhas gatheredinformationanddatafrom:
 NGO’s
 International developmentinstitutions
 Governmentdepartments
 The departmentof education
 Nonformal educationsectororganisations
 Church groups
 National organisations
 Local level practitioners

7. 7
The report hastriedto keepan effective percentage of bothmenandwomeninterviewees
throughoutthe course of the project.
Of the 15 interviewsconductedinthisreportandagainstacontextual backgroundinPNGwhere
womenare still facedwithasecondarystatusin society,6of the directinterviewees werefemale.
Findings
1. Literature Review of Policy and Existing Research
Overthe last 15 yearsthere have beenasubstantial numberof reportsandstudiesintoyoung
people inPapuaNewGuineaandthe widerPacificislands.
Thisresearchhas includedreviewingmanysourcesof material producedbothbylargerinstitutional
studiesaswell assmallermore localisedstakeholdersandpractitioners.
Thismixedsource approachwas chosento mitigate the riskof missingkey local contextual
informationbyonlyreviewingreportsproducedatan international andinstitutionallevel (UN,
UNICEF,UNESCO etc.)
Belowisa table whichlists the mainsources bytype of organisation,bothof international and
locallyproducedPNGreportsandassessmentswhichthe research hasreviewedduring thisproject.
Table 1
Date
Name of
Organisation/Institution Type of Organisation
Report Title/Subject
2007
Governmentof Papua
NewGuinea Government
Review of governmentpolicy
relatingtoyouthinPapua New
Guinea- The National YouthPolicy
of PapuaNew Guinea2007-2017
2010
Governmentof Papua
NewGuinea Government
PapuaNew GuineaDevelopment
StrategicPlan - 2010-2030
2010
Governmentof Papua
NewGuinea Government
PapuaNew GuineaVision2050 -
2010
2010
Governmentof Papua
NewGuinea Government
PartnershipPolicyFramework
betweenthe Governmentof Papua
New Guinea(GoPNG) andthe
ChristianChurches2010
2010
Departmentfor
CommunityDevelopment Government
Workingstreetchildrenof Papua
New Guinea:
A publicpolicychallenge 2010
2013
PNG Departmentof
Education Government
Review andanalysisof Official
Departmentof EducationStatistics
fromthe National School Census
data 2013
2008 UNESCO International
UNESCO Institute of Statistics
Report_UNICEF,Divisionof Policy
and Practice,Statisticsand
MonitoringSection_2008
2008 WorldBank International
RapidYouth AssessmentInPort
Moresby,PapuaNew Guinea2008
2010 UNESCO International
A reporton PapuaNew Guinea
countryreview of Education
EquivalencyProgrammesand
alternative learning.UNESCO - 2010

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2011
International Labour
Organization(ILO) International
Reporton the rapidassessmentin
Port Moresbyon commercial sexual
exploitationof childrenandchildren
workingonthe streets- 2011
2012 UNICEF/UNESCO International
Review of UNICEF/UNESCOReport -
East Asiaand PacificOutof School
Report- 2012
2014 Youth PolicyPress International
Review of 2014 Youth PolicyData
Sheets(SourcesUNESCO/World
Bank/WHO/Commonwealth)
2015 UNICEF International
UNICEF ReportFixingthe Broken
Promise of EducationforAll
(Findingsfromthe Global Initiative
on Out-of-School Children)-2015
2012 FODE National
FODE Organisational Information
Document- 2012
2013 FODE National
Country Reportfor Flexible Open
Distance Education2013
2013
Universityof PapuaNew
Guinea National
Urban Youth UnemploymentStudy
inSelectedUrbancentresinPapua
New Guinea- 2013
2014
National Youth
DevelopmentAuthority National
Urban Youth Unemployment in
PapuaNew Guinea– Trends,
CharacteristicsandChallengesfor
Productive Participation - 2014
2014
National Research
Institute National
Review of PEPEfindingsReport_A
Lost Decade?Service Deliveryand
ReformsinPapuaNew Guinea2002-
2012
2014
National Youth
DevelopmentAuthority National
CharacteristicsandChallengesfor
Productive Participation - 2013
2014
Divine WordUniversity
and VSO National/NGO
A researchstudyintofemale
experiencesof dormitorylifeand
pregnancyat secondaryand high
schools - 2014
2013 VSO NGO
CapacityNeedsAnalysisand
CapacityDevelopmentPlanforthe
PNG National EducationSystem -
2013
2015 VSO NGO
Review of VSOGrade 8 Exam Data
report- 2015
2009
Madang Provincial
Government Provincial Government
Madang 10 Year Provincial
EducationPlan -2009
2010
National Capital District
Provincial Government Provincial Government
The Motu-Koitaof inner-cityPort
Moresby
Draft Social Assessmentforthe
National Capital DistrictCommission
2010

9. 9
Key questions - Literature
What is the national PNG Government policy for youth?
The current administrationunderPeterO’Neill hascertainlyraised‘Youth’challengesinthe public
domainandadmittedthe problemswhichare currentlyfacingthe country.
It has alsobeenmade clearthat the Governmentunderstandsthe importance of improvingthe lives
of youngpeople andthatthe future of the country’sprosperityisfundamentallylinkedtothe
successesandfailuresof thisnextgeneration.
The formationof the recentNational YouthPolicy2007-2017 is testamenttothe attentionthat
parliamentisshowingonthismatter.
Which Government Department is responsible for youth development?
The GovernmentDepartmentwhichhasbeenchargedwithenactingandenforcingthe new policy
on youthisThe National YouthDevelopmentAuthority.
ThisDepartmentispart of the MinistryforYouth,ReligionandCommunityDevelopmentwhichis
currentlyheadedbyDelilahGore (MP).
Is there any recent legislation or upcoming amendments to existing policy?
There ismore recentevidence providedandconfidence tobe gainedfromthe replacementof the
olderNational YouthCommissionAct(1999) to full authoritystatus.
The more empoweredNationalYouthDevelopmentAuthorityActwasofficially establishedin
February2014.
Thisis likelytobe the mainchange inexistingpolicyforthe nearfuture.
Where does youth fit with the national strategic plans?
Youth are identifiedasakeystrategicfocusin The National DevelopmentStrategicPlan2010-2030.
The Planrecognizesthe needformore responsible andcaringparenting. UrbanYouth inthe Pacific
83 technical training,youthcentres,sportingactivities,andspiritualandsocial opportunities.The
ambitioustargetsfor2030 include all school leavershavingemploymentopportunities,secondary
educationforall andhalvingthe rate of youthcrime.
What does VSO, UN, Government of PNG and DFAT define as ‘youth’? (Age range?)
It isveryclear that there isnointernational standardiseddefinitionforyouthaccordingtoage. The
scale can be acceptedtoas lowas 7 yearsand as highas 35.
Therefore belowIlistthe individual age rangesconsideredtofitthispopulationgroupasdefinedby
the differentorganisationsbelow.
 PNG National policy –12-25 years
 PNG criminal justice system –7-17 years
 VSO– Flexible +culture dependant(15-35/ 18-24)
 CityMissionPOM – 16-24 years
 UN – 15-24 years
 DFAT - Below25 years(12-24)
 OXFAM– 18-25 years

10. 10
Where are the largest student dropout numbers appearing in the education system?
Thisresearchprojectstartedwithan objective of findingoutthe mainreasonsforchildrennot
completingaprimaryschool educationuptothe endof grade 8.
Thoughthe informationfoundduringthisworkhashighlighted somegoodanswerstothisquestion
and has alsodemonstratedthatmore workisneededtoaddressthe continuingproblem,ithasalso
thrownup evidence of anevenmore vulnerablegroupof youngpeople.
As the data belowin table 4 showsclearly,the largeststudentdropoutnumbersoccuraftergrade 8
and grade 11 in the formal educationsystemwithgirlsstill representingthe largestandmost
vulnerable group.
The numbers continue tofall furthereachacademicyearand onlya small elite everreachor
complete theirgrade 12 exam.
What are the main reasons for students dropping out of school?
The reviewof existingliterature,reportsandnational policyhave highlightedthatthe problems
facingchildrenandyouthinPNG are many and none of themhave a quickfix andeasysolution.
Many of the biggestissueswhichare workingagainstyouthinthe countryare of a cultural nature
and closelylinkedtothe acceptable social structuresandhierarchiesinherentwithincommunities.
Responsibilitydoesnotlie atthe feetof asingle groupof people,butisa complicatedamalgamation
of opinions,beliefs,genderimbalancesandhistoricallyineffective governmentpolicy
implementation.
Howeveralthoughfurtherresearchintothe reasonsforchildrendroppingoutof school shouldbe
conductedI can presentthe mainreasonswhichhave come tolightduringthisresearchworkbelow.
Schools lack capacity
An unfortunate side effectof introducingthe tuitionfee free policyisthatstudentenrolment
numbershave increasedsubstantiallyinaveryshortperiodof time.
Many schoolshave simplynotbeenable tocope withthisrapidincrease andhave sufferedfrom
poorlymaintainedbuildings,classroomsbeingtoosmall forthe new studentclasssizesandalack of
teachersavailable onaregularbasis.
Parents/Guardiansunable to pay school fees
Withthe introductionof TFFthisisno longerthe problemithasbeeninthe past. Howeverthere is
still manyschoolswhoare chargingparentfor school projectfeestomaintainingbuildingsor
equipmentandthisisprovingproblematicinmanyregions.
Unable to afford uniforms,clothesand materials
Secondarycostsof sendingchildrentoschool are oftenoverlookedandthere isstill asignificant
issue affectingpoorerfamiliesincludingthe costof school uniformsandmaterials.
Teenage pregnancy
Thisis a majorissue affectinggirlsandyoungwomenacrossPNG.
One of the mainproblemswithaddressingthischallengeisthe stigmaandcultural viewsattachedto
pregnancy inyoungwomen.
Oftenschoolsare notverysupportive andsuggestthe girl leaveseducationandreturnstoher
communitytohave the child.
Much more educationworkisrequiredinthisareaandneedstobe directedacrossall relevant
partiesfromindividual sexual healtheducationforyounggirlstothe understandingof how schools
can bestsupporttheirfemale students.
Local level workwithfamiliesandcommunitiesneedstobe carriedoutto helpimprove
understandingandsupportforyoungwomen.
VSOcarriedout a researchprojectintosecondaryschool dormitoriesandpregnantstudentsin2014.
More workof thistype shouldbe carriedoutacross all 22 provinces.

11. 11
Lack of interestinschooling
All toooftenthe value of educationisnotperceivedby the parentsorcommunityasa whole.
In manyof the more rural areasof PNGthe value of childrenstayingathome andlookingafterthe
productionof foodor animal welfare isdeemedmore important.
The Governmentandlocal organisationsneedtodomuchmore to demonstrate the reasonsfor
educationandthe positive outcomestocommunitiesandfamilies.
Childrenrequire national certificate in educationto get employmentor return to education.
(Grade 8 and grade 10)
Failure ratesfornational examsare highinPNGand thispresentsamajor problemwithstudents
simplynotre-takingtheirexamsandnotprogressingfurtherwiththeireducation.
In orderto progressto a highergrade itis currentlyrequiredthatstudentsholdaNational exam
certificate.
After Grade 10-12 – There are only4,500 Higher Education Placesfor approximately21,430
studentsapplying.
Thismeansthat 80% of Grade 12 studentswill notbe consideredforentrytouniversitiesand
colleges.
Such highcompetition foravailableplaces encouragescorruption,briberyandfoul play.
Entry requirementsforhighereducationare high.
Consideringthe levelof qualificationbeingproducedinthe secondaryeducationsystemandthe still
poor ratesof numeracyandliteracyacrossPNG, entryrequirementsfromthe universitiesinPNGare
setat a veryhighlevel. Thisnaturallyleadstoalarge amountof studentsneverreachingthe top
level of education.
2. Key informant interviews
Qualitative datawasgatheredata varietyof differenthierarchy levelswithin societyand the
organisations/institutions thatImetwith. Thiswas inorderto gain an accurate perceptionof how
the differentstakeholdersview the currentsituationinPNGfromtheirownstandpoints aswell asto
understandthe current programmesof workand projectsbeingcarriedoutbythem.
Table 2
Institution/Organ
isation
Contact name Title Type/Level within
society
Focus of meeting
Departmentof
Education
Oscar Onam Education
Management
Information
Specialist
Government–
National
National Data/Statistics
FODE (DofE) DemasTongogo Principal of
FODE
Government-
Department
Strategy/Mission/Application
FODE (Provincial
Office)
EstherMakis Provincial
Coordinator
for Madang
office
Provincial –Madang
Centre
Understand Provincial Strategy
National Libraries
& Archives
Willie Emmanuel
Jonduo
Directorfor
NLAS–
Librariesand
Archives
Government–
Department
Strategy/Mission/Application

12. 12
Catholic
EducationBoard
JosephDirekoro
Directorof
Catholic
EducationBoard
Directorof
Catholic
Education
Board
Church Group –
National
Strategy/Mission/Application
Catholic
EducationBoard
SisterMary
Mccarthy
Christian
Education
coordinator
Church Group –
National
Strategy/Mission/Application
Caritas StellaKoapiura Church
Partnership
Coordinator
Donor/Funder–
International
SpecifictoSOCAYSHB
CityMission Steve Highlander Chief
Missionary
and
Coordinator
NGO – Local x2
Provinces
Strategy/Mission/Application
Horizont3000 CarstenKlink Country
Director
NGO – Madang –
National
UnderstandTVET Application
The Voice Inc Barbara Thomas Headof
programmes
NGO – POM – Small Strategy/Mission/Application
NCDC Rex Buka Directorof
Youth Desk
Services
Provincial
Government–POM
Youth Desk/ CurrentApplication
WorldVision StellaRumbaum Area
Programme
Manager
NGO – International Strategy/Mission/Application
UN Women JurgitaSekeirate DeputyProject
Manager
UN Entity –
International
UnderstandworkwithNCDC
VSOUK PurnaShrestha Lead Advisor
for Education
NGO –
National/Internatio
nal
Co-ordinationof YouthApproach
SalvationArmy Headof
Health/Gender
Programmes
Headof
Health/Gender
Programmes
Charity–
International
Strategy/Mission/Application
National
VolunteerService
ErnestoOrtega Directorof
NVS
Government–
Department
Strategy/Mission/Application
Key Findings
 There ispoor communicationandcoordinationbetweenthe active practitionersworkingon
youthissuesinPNG.
 The National YouthDevelopmentAuthorityisattemptingtobecome acentral hubto linkall
practitionerstogetherandcreate a workingpartnershipdatabase.
 Approximately75%of the populationstill livesinrural areas,yetthese areasare almost
completelylackinginanylarge scale initiativestoreduce the numberof outof school
childrenoraddresswideryouthchallenges.
 The highfinancial costinPNG of reachingmore remote provincesanddistrictsisseverely
limitingthe amountandqualityof workandresearchrequiredtohelpyoungpeopleinthese
areas.
 Communicationbetweengovernmentdepartmentsneedstobe significantlyimprovedand
more regularto raise the qualityof programme design,implementationandpositiveimpact.

13. 13
 Seniorgovernmentdepartmentfiguresare veryaware thatthe numbersof outof school
childrenare higherthanofficiallypublished.
 A recurrentopinionandfrustrationexpressedbyall intervieweeswasthe lackof good
qualitystatisticsanddatarecordsin PNGwithwhichto design/targetprogrammesof work
against.
 The lack of strongsystemsandserviceswithincivil societyisahuge obstacle to
implementingeffective andsustainableimprovementsto the outof school problem.
 Many younggirlsand womenare fallingoutof educationandbeingattractedtothe illegal
sex trade as a wayof earningmoneyforthemselvesandtheirfamilies.
 All the largestprogrammesof workto addressoutof school childrenandyouthare currently
re-active intheirapproachandfocussedaturban youthratherthan rural.
 The current governmentadministrationreliesheavilyonthe workof church groupsfor
combatingoutof school youthandstreetchildren.
3. Data Analysis
The data tablesbelowprovide apicture of the overall educationattendancenumbersanddrop-out
ratesfor youngpeople inPNG.
Initial reviewof available datasourcesrevealsthatin2014 approximately20,364 childrenfailedto
complete theirGrade 8 exameachyear.Thisrepresentsabout 19% of the overall studentcohort.
It shouldbe stressedthatPapuaNewGuineasufferswithalackof reliable anduptodate sourcesof
statisticsanddata. Althoughamore recent national censuswasconductedin2011, the full
breakdownof obtaineddatahasyetto be released.
Table 3
Province
% basic education
completionrate Male Female % difference attendance
Gulf 33.11 36.57 29.47 7.1
Oro (Northern) 51.82 54.19 49.19 5
Simbu(Chimbu) 53.78 58.3 48.76 9.54
Milne Bay 55.88 53.42 58.65 5.23
Sandaun(WestSepik) 56.78 62.31 50.83 11.48
SouthernHighlands 57.43 64.74 49.72 15.02
Hela 57.43 64.74 49.72 15.02
Central 58.56 59.65 57.33 2.32
Madang 59.77 65.15 53.98 11.17
Enga 61.55 69.73 52.67 17.06
EasternHighlands 63.06 71.93 53.78 18.15
NewIreland 65.17 65.44 64.89 0.55
Western(Fly) 65.3 68.83 61.59 7.24
East Sepik 65.38 69.06 61.44 7.62
WestNewBritain 68.42 70.94 65.62 5.32
Morobe 68.64 72.83 64.07 8.76
WesternHighlands 75.31 80.8 69.48 11.32

14. 14
Jiwaka 75.31 80.8 69.48 11.32
East NewBritain 75.78 75.21 76.43 -1.22
AutonomousRegionof
Bougainville 78.46 77.64 79.34 -1.7
Manus 92.38 93.39 91.32 2.07
National Capital District 96.99 95.7 98.43 -2.73
Best performing province
Medium performing province
Worst performingprovince
Regionwith goodgender disparity %Student dropout rate between grade 3 and grade 8
Grade Level Total student
population
Male Female % genderdifference Total student
populationdrop
Grade 3 196,362 109,404 86,958 11.42% N/A
Grade 4 174,757 97,159 77,598 11.18% 21,605
Grade 5 156,963 87,079 69,884 10.94% 17,794
Grade 6 139,863 77,448 62,415 10.74% 17,100
Grade 7 118,969 65,614 53,355 10.03% 20,894
Grade 8 107,964 59,547 48,417 10.03% 11,005
Grade 9 55,879 34,208 21,671 22.42% 52,084
Grade 10 48,197 29,244 18,953 21.34% 7,682
Grade 11 21,470 12,745 8,725 18.72% 26,727
Grade 12 16,766 9,868 6,898 17.72% 4,704
SOURCE: PNG Department ofEducationNational Statistical Bulletin_2013 – Statistics and EMISUnit
High student dropout rate
Medium student dropout rate
Table 5
Total number of studentswho sit and fail to sit the Grade 8 National exam - 2013
Numberof
students
supposedto
take Grade 8
Exam 2013
Annual Number
who actually sit
Grade 8 Exam 2013
Annual % who
drop-out before
Grade 8
completion
Annual Grade 8
non completion
% displayedas
student
population
number
107,964 87,600 18.86% 20,364
SOURCE: VSO National Grade 8 Statistical data – 2013
SOURCE: Government of PNG National Statistics – Education Dashboard - 2013
Secondary Transition rates and enrolment numbers

15. 15
An essentialpartof thisresearchprojecthasbeento identifythe mostvulnerable groupsof young
people whoare droppingoutof the educationsystem.
It has alsobeenanimportantarea to try andidentifyatwhichstage andgrade inthe formal
educationsystemare the largestnumbersof youngpeopledroppingout.
The data presentedbelow intables6,7 and 8 istakenfroma 2013 reportproducedbythe
Departmentof EducationandassistedbyVSO.The figurespresentedare from2011 data sets.
Initial findingsonthe transitionratesbetweenprimaryandsecondaryeducationdisplayaverylarge
rate of drop outbetweengrades8to 9 and thistrendcontinuesintothe secondaryschool system
betweengrades9to 12 inPapua NewGuinea.
The tablesbelowalsohighlightaparticularlyacute problemarisingwithinspecificregionsof PNG.
For TransitionbetweenGrade 8 to 9 the firsttable below displaysthatbottom6Provincesas West
Sepik,National Capital District, WesternProvince,SouthernHighlands,Milne Bay and Madang.
TransitionRateswithinthe secondarysystemdifferslightlywiththe bottom6Provinces of,Gulf,
Madang, Southern Highlands,Sandaun, Northernand West NewBritain fall significantlyloweron
the data table for grossenrolmentrates thanall othernational regions.
Thoughthere isobviouslysome fluctuationof transitionratesbetweenthe provinces,itisworthyof
note that both Madang andSouthern Highlandsappearin the bottom6 regionsforboth
measurementsof transitionbetweenprimaryandsecondary.
One interestinganomalywhichhasshownupbelow isthatGulf province hasthe besttransitionrate
fromgrade 8 to9 despite being one of the worstperformingprovince forall othermeasurementsof
educationperformance.
Table 6
Best performing provinces
Province
% who transition from
Grade 8 to 9
GULF PROVINCE 86%
NEW IRELANDPROVINCE 80%
EAST SEPIKPROVINCE 69%
MANUS PROVINCE 67%
CENTRAL PROVINCE 65%
CHIMBU PROVINCE 64%
ENGA PROVINCE 63%
KIUNGA LAKE MURRAY 61%
Department of Education analysisfor governors which looks attransition rates,enrolment and distribution
June 2013 assisted by VSO.
Table 7

16. 16
Worst performing provinces
Province % who transition from Grade 8 to 9
WEST NEW BRITAIN PROVINCE 49%
MADANG PROVINCE 46%
MILNE BAY PROVINCE 46%
SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS PROVINCE 46%
WESTERN PROVINCE 46%
NATIONALCAPITALDISTRICT 42%
WEST SEPIK PROVINCE 37%
Department of Education analysisfor governors which looks attransition rates,enrolment and distribution
June 2013 Assisted by VSO.
Table 8
Transition rate varied by province from Grade 8 to 9
SOURCE: Studybythe PNG Department of Education, assistedbyVSO. June 2013
Table 9

17. 17
Overall Gross education enrolment rates Grade 9 to 12 – 2013 Data
Ordered by overall performance
Province Population
% Gross Enrolment
Rate grade 9 to 12 Male Female
Gulf 158,194 9.76 11.43 7.98
Madang 493,906 13.67 16.48 10.62
Oro (Northern) 186,309 13.78 15.93 11.41
Sandaun (WestSepik) 248,411 14.35 17.15 11.33
WestNewBritain 264,264 15.1 17.05 12.93
Milne Bay 276,512 17.14 16.17 18.23
SouthernHighlands 510,245 17.97 24.24 11.3
Hela 249,449 17.97 24.24 11.3
East Sepik 450,530 20.5 22.79 18.05
Western(Fly) 201,351 21.59 24.76 18.21
Eastern Highlands 579,825 23.16 28.97 16.98
Central 269,756 23.18 26.98 18.88
NewIreland 194,067 24.09 24.23 23.95
Morobe 674,810 24.28 28.36 19.86
AutonomousRegion of
Bougainville 249,358 24.43 23.69 25.25
Enga 432,045 25.68 31.9 18.83
East NewBritain 328,369 28.05 27.77 28.36
Simbu (Chimbu) 376,473 31.21 40.26 21.13
WesternHighlands 362,850 32.51 38.85 25.7
Jiwaka 343,987 32.51 38.85 25.7
National Capital District 364,125 35.57 36.4 34.64
Manus 50,231 39.21 42.85 35.31
SOURCE: Government of PNG National Statistics – Education Dashboard - 2013
Worst performingprovince
Mediumperforming province
Best performing province
Key data findings
 Gulf province statisticsshow thatitissignificantlybelowthe enrolmentratesof all other
provinces.
 Betweengrades3and 8 there isa consistentlyhighernumberof malesinschool than
femalesof around11%.
 Aftergrade 8 the genderdisparityworsenstoover20% betweengrade 9 and 12.
 There are eightprovinceswhichdisplayverypoorperformance forenrolmentratesof below
20%.
 Highlandprovincesdisplaysome of the worstgenderdisparitybetweenmalesandfemale
enrolment.

18. 18
4. Stakeholder
FODE
The FlexibleOpenandDistance Education(FODE) isthe National EducationDepartment’sonly
distance educationproviderinPapuaNew Guineaandthe largestinthe SouthPacific.The institution
providesanalternative educationfromGrades7- 12 and matriculationforthose whoforvarious
reasonscannotmake it throughthe formal system.
The InstitutionisestablishedbyanAct of Parliamentunderthe EducationActto provide an
alternate educationtoout-of school youthorschool leaversinthe countrythroughthe distance
mode of delivery.
The needto adequatelysupportthe volume of studentsleavingthe formal educationsysteminPNG
was nevergivenaseriousthoughtatthe policylevel.
It was onlyinyear2000 whenthere wasthisincreasednumberof school leaversdemanding
secondaryschool educationequivalencythatthe distance mode of deliverytooksome prominence.
Special attentionhasrecentlybeen giventhroughthe National EducationPlan2005-2014 (NEP)
where itrecognizes distance educationasanimportantavenue fordeliveringasoundeducation
equivalenttothe formal secondaryschool educationtoyouthswhodonothave access to or cannot
be accommodatedinthe formal set-ups.
Despite beingaNational Education priority,FODEhasnot receivedanysufficientfundinguntil
recently.
Key highlightsandchallengesforFODEin2015 as identifiedintheir2014 organisational report.
1. Institutionalincapacity(expertise,ICT-enabledlearning).
2. Provincial Office Capacity(Staff Training, ICTTraining,Centre/Office Management)
3. Improvementof Logisticsforlearningmaterialsandprovincial distribution.
4. Shortage of academicsand trainedteachersfordeliveryof distance education.
5. Contentdevelopment(Instructional design).
6. ODFL PolicyImplementation(intertiaryinstitutions).
7. Resource RichProjects(LNG,Mining,FisheriesandOil).
8. GovernmentPolicyonincreasingaccesstoeducationincludingfee freeeducationupto
grade 12.
9. Quality assurance and control over cross border education.
Observed programme opportunity for FODE and VSO
Belowisthe table showingstudentenrolmentfiguresof Grades7 to 12 (bothupgradersandfull
correspondence)from2000 to 2010 froma Principal’sreporttothe GoverningCouncil,(October
2010).
Cellshighlightedingreenare ProvincialcentresandOverall studentenrolmentwherefemale
studentswere recordedinhighernumbersthanmale students.
These important enrolmentfigurescan hardly be matched by any education providerso far as
genderequityis concerned.
This is a strong indication that many female studentsare willingto study at theirhomes rather
than walking to a formal school.

19. 19
Thisdata adds weighttopreviousVSOstudiesintogenderequalityineducationanda recentVSO
reportconductedonthe state of secondaryschool dormitoriesforgirls.
Table 10
FODE Annual Enrolment Figures 2000-2010intake data
No Provincial Centre New intake
(2010)
Total (2010) Total Enrolment
(2000-2010)
TOTAL
Male Female Male Female
1 Western 157 84 241 3176 2042 5218
2 Gulf 18 32 50 1634 798 2432
3 Central 170 140 310 3583 2696 7279
4 Milne Bay 85 42 127 806 739 1545
5 Oro 149 109 258 1192 949 2141
6 Southern
Highlands/Hela
195 160 355 6872 3966 10,836
7 EasternHighlands 356 242 598 3366 3219 6585
8 Simbu 26 32 58 1616 1986 3602
9 Western
Highlands/Jiwaka
79 90 169 2974 2274 5248
10 Sandaun 64 38 102 1139 772 1911
11 East Sepik 147 205 352 1951 1745 3898
12 Madang 12 09 21 1085 1021 2106
13 Morobe 111 46 157 4344 4284 8628
14 WestNewBritain 83 86 169 1464 1291 2755
15 East NewBritain 147 288 435 1042 4256 7298
16 NewIreland 107 124 231 1002 1003 2005
17 Arob 125 239 364 2738 4478 7216
18 Manus 29 36 65 657 541 1198
19 National Capital 796 673 1469 11,416 9012 20426
20 Enga 21 21 42 1480 1547 3027
Total 2877 2696 5573 55,537 48,619 105,358
KEY
Provinces showinghigherorcloselycomparable attendance of female students versusmale
students – 2010
Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations
As one of the core objectivesof thisresearch projectwastoidentifywhere youngpeople are
droppingoutof the educationsystemandinparticularbefore completingafull primaryeducationit
isimportantto re-stressthe keydataindicatorswhichwe have usedtoreveal thisinformation.
 Basic educationcompletionrate byprovince
 Overall studentdropoutrate bygrade
 Gross enrolment byprovince
 Primary to secondarytransitiondata.
 Overall secondaryenrolmentratesbyprovince
 FODE overall enrolmentratesbyprovince
The transitionfrom Primaryto secondaryeducationrepresentswhere the largestnumbersof
childrenare droppingoutof school.
Althoughall 22 ProvincesinPNGsufferfrom a variance of these keystatistical indicators Iwould
highlightthe following 8Provinces asthe worstperformingaccordingtothe data.

20. 20
Table 11
Provinces displaying worst overall statistical data
Province Level of need by number of key data
indicators
Level of genderdisparity %
Hela 3 15.02%
Milne Bay 3 5.23%
SouthernHighlands 3 15.02%
Gulf 2 7.1%
Madang 2 11.17%
Oro 2 5%
Sandaun 2 11.17%
WestNewBritain 2 5.32%
The table above liststhe eightprovinceswhichconsistentlydisplaythe worststatistical performance
data for grossenrolment,primarytosecondarytransitionratesandcompletion of basiceducation.
The level of genderdisparitybetweenmalesandfemaleshasalsobeenincludedinthistable in
orderto furtherclarifythe provinceswhichhave the biggestneedforassistance.
Extremelyhighneed
Veryhighneed
Highneed
Recommendations
It wouldbe the recommendation of thisreporttoconcentrate anyVSOresourcesintoprogrammes
of workwhichtargetthese 6 provincesinitially.
I wouldalsorecommendlookingfurtherintoformingaworkingvolunteerpartnershipwithFODE
(FlexibleOpenDistance Education) inordertore-connectwithandpresentanopportunityforthose
youngpeople whohave droppedoutof educationtore-enterthe sectorandcomplete orupgrade
theirNational exams.
Alongside anyworkwithinthe EducationarenaIwouldrecommendaclose workingpartnershipwith
The National YouthDevelopmentAuthorityinPNG.
ProvidingstrategicallyplacedVSOvolunteersintoboth of these NationalInstitutionswillensurethat
VSOis workingatthe veryheart of the problemsfacingyouthinPapuaNew Guinea.Thisapproach
will alsoenable ourvolunteersto be able to have the mostpositive affectonthe largestnumberof
ultimate youngbeneficiariesthroughoutthe country.
The future of anyNationisdefinedbyitschildrenandyoungerpeople astheyare the future of any
societyandeconomy andcurrentlythere are upwardsof 4,260,000 youngpeople betweenthe ages
of 0-24years.(Accordingto2000 CensusData) Thisfigure canbe adjustedupwardsallowingforthe
3% populationincrease toarrive ata more contemporaryfigure for2015.
Overall in2015 there are more youngpeople betweenthe agesof 6 to 18 who are out of school or
formal educationthanthose whoare in education.
The data above alsohighlightsthe continuingtrendof girlsandyoungwomendroppingoutof
educationorchoosingnotto attendat all.There are manycultural and anti-social reasonsforthis
occurringin PNGand shouldpresentanotherkeyareaof focusfor VSOandpartner
Institutions/Organisations.
Addedtothisis the fact that eventhose whodomanage to attenda formal school are not always
attendingfull time orevenforafull daysclassesduringthe school week.
One encouragingexception tothistrend andhighlightedinthisreport isthatof FODE.The National
but nonformal educationprovidershowsafar more equal enrolmentrate betweenmale and
female studentsandshouldbe exploredmore deeplytosee how thismightbe improveduponand
expanded.

21. 21
We nowknowthat eventhoughthe PNGNational Governmentconductsanannual school censusto
ascertainbothstudentenrolmentnumbersandteachernumbers,itisunfortunatelytrue thatthe
methodof data gatheringandthe methodscurrentlydeployedtoattainthisdataas subjecttomany
challengesandincludesignificantmarginsof error.
At bestthe data shouldbe treatedasa goodguide asopposedtoa robustand accurate reflectionof
true national education numbersattending school 5daysa week.
Thisreportshouldprovide the readerwithafairand unbiasedpresentationof the factsas they
currentlyexistinPapuaNewGuinea.
It shouldalsobe stressedagainthatall data and national statisticsgatheredinPNGoverthe last15
yearsare subjecttolarge marginsof error.True numbersof outof school youthandeducation
attendance figuresshouldbe treatedwithcautionandareliabilityfactorof nohigherthan75%.
I hope that thisreportwill alsodemonstrate the urgentrequirement forwell-designed andtargeted
programmesof workwithin outof educationyouthcommunity.
Thiswork shouldbe carriedoutinpartnershipwiththe mainNational Governingbodiesresponsible
for youngpeople inPNGaswell asalongside local partnerorganisationsalreadyoperatinginthis
communityarea.
1. Potential Partner Organisations
The National Youth Development Authority
Youth hasbecome a Priorityareafor PeterO’Neill andthe PNGNational Government2015
The NYDA are expandingtheirstaff headcountfrom65up to 165 and have beengiventhe green
lightto proceedwiththisASAP.
TheirVisionistoworkcloselywiththe rural youthinremote areasinorder to stemthe flow of
youngpeople tourbanareas.
Theyare focussedonstoppingthe problematitssource ratherthan becomingre-activetoa
localisedproblemflowingintourbanareaslike POM.
NYDA are lookingtoestablishastrongerconnectionbetweenthe new YouthCentresandthe
Regional andDistrictGovernmentoffices.
Theywouldlike toaccessfundsfromthe K15 MillionRegional GovernmentBudgetforYouth
Programmes.
Theyare keentosignMOU's withProvincial MP'sand thiswill includebudgetallocationtoyouth
programmes.
There is a good potential opportunityfor VSO to engage withthe NYDA and assist them withthe
National YouthProgrammes in both rural and urban areas across PNG.
This National approach offersVSO a chance to make a positive impact on large numbersof
ultimate beneficiariesifthe approach and engagementcan be structured in the most effective
manner.

22. 22
FODE
FODE are one of the largestNational GovernmentDepartmentsandsitwithintheirparent
Institution,The Departmentof Education.
The FlexibleOpenandDistance Education(FODE) centre isthe onlypublicdistance learning
institutionservingPapuaNew Guinea’supperprimaryandsecondaryschool leavers.
It providesEnglish,Mathematics,Science andSocial Science coursesthatare primarilydelivered
throughcorrespondence baseddistance learning,supportedoccasionallybyon site tutorsand
teachers.
FODE has 22 provincial centresthatcoordinate servicesprovidedwithin theirrespective provinces,
as well asabout25 affiliatedstudycentres.
Althoughthe institutionhassignificantpotential tosupportalarge,underservedandgrowing
segmentof outof school youth,ithas sufferedformanyyearsfrominadequateresourcesand
technical support.
There is an excellentopportunitytoform a partnershipbetweenVSOand FODE.
VSO already has a strong relationshipbuiltup overmany years withinThe Departmentof
Education in PNG.
Addingto thisestablishedrelationshipisthe clear requirementforstaff capacity training within
FODE. This would be relevantfor both its provincial centresas well as itshead office in Port
Moresbyand will therefore offera chance to reach a large number of ultimate beneficiaries.
Staff training,ICT Capacity Support and academic curriculum developmentare all areas of
expertise withinVSO’svolunteerbase and key areas identifiedwithinFODEas requiringsupport
and improvement.
Through discussionswith keystakeholderswithinthe Asia/Pacificdonor environmentit has also
become clear that there isa firm commitmentto provide fundingfor this type of partnership
programme withinboth DFAT, The Department of Education and the WorldBank.
2. Donors
Thisresearchprojecthas highlightedthe followingdonororganisations asthe mostlikelyand
orientedtowards‘Youth’inPapuaNewGuinea.
I have orderedthese sourcesof fundinginOrderof priority
 The Incentive FundIV (DFAT/GoPNGPartnership)
 StrongimPipol StrongimNesen –DFAT/GoPNGPartnership)
 DFAT (AustraliaAid) –OtherSources
 WorldBank
 ADB
 Digicel Foundation

23. 23
3. How can young people who drop out of the formal education system be
best supported?
There has beenaverypositive approachtoeducationenactedbythe currentPNGadministration.
The Cornerstone of recentNational educationpolicyhasbeenthatof the ‘TuitionFee Free’(TFF)
initiative.
Thishas eliminatedthe financial obstaclefacedbymanyparentsandcommunitiesforsendingtheir
childrentoschool andhas dramaticallyincreasednational school enrolmentnumbersinboth
primaryand secondaryyeargroups.
Howeverinthe understandable speedtoimplementthispolicyacrossthe countryitisalso evident
that ithas revealedanacute problemwiththe existinginfrastructure of schoolsandeducation
establishmentsacrossthe countrytoabsorbthe increaseddemandforplaces.
Thisincludesnotonlythe physical buildingswhere educationclassestake place,butalsothe supply
of enoughtrainedteachersandsuitableadministrativestaff tooperate these institutionseffectively.
The unintendedresultof amuch largerenrolmentof studentsisthatthisisnow leadingtoa much
largerrecordedrate of dropouts fromthe educationsystemasthere are simplynotenoughplaces,
buildingsorteacherstoaccommodate thisexpandingpupil population.
The exact numbersof youngpeople droppingoutof bothprimaryand secondaryeducationare not
currentlyknown.
A recentpublicdeclarationbythe currentPrime MinisterPeterO’Neill highlightedthatitis
estimatedthatover600,000 childrenare currentlyoutof school or educationinPNG.
The Prime Ministerwasreferringtodata whichhe hadbeenmade aware of bythe National
StatisticsOffice (NSO) inFebruary2015.
It isthe informedopinionof thisreportthatthe numberquotedislikelytobe anunderestimationof
the true numberof youthsoutof school or education.
Recommendations
Takingthissituationandthe analysisof national statistical dataintoaccountitwouldbe the
recommendationof thisreportthatVSOtargetfuture programme designandvolunteerplacements
aroundout of school childrenandyouthwork at the eightmostinneedprovincesashighlighted
above in table 11.
Thisreporthas alsohighlightedaconsistentandsadlyongoingdisparitybetweenfemaleandmale
attendance andcompletionratesforbasiceducationandtransitionintosecondaryschool.
The researchrevealedinthisreportshowsadramatic improvementinenrolmentratesacrossnearly
all provincesforfemaleswhenadistance learningapproachisadoptedoverthe formal education
system.
As suchthisreportwouldalsohighlyrecommendthatVSOlooksto partnercloselywithFODEwho
are the national providerof distance learningeducationwithinPNG.
Thisresearchsuggeststhata targetedprogramme designwhichprovidesVSOvolunteerstoseveral
selectedFODEprovincial learningcentreswill have astrong,effective andsustainableimpactto
improve the currentservice beingofferedbyFODE.
Anotherareawhichthisreporthas revealedisthe poorlevel of communicationandcoordination
betweenorganisationsandinstitutionsworkingwithoutof school childrenandyouthacrossPNG.
Afterdetailedface toface consultationsandongoingdialogue itisequallyrecommendedbythis
reportthat VSOwork closelytodesignandinitiateagreeduponvolunteerplacementswithinThe
National YouthDevelopmentAuthority teamstoprovide capacitybuildingandtrainingforthiscivic
departmenttoimplementitscorporate plan2013-2016.

24. 24
Thisreportfindsthat these tworecommendationsforpartnerorganisationswill allow VSOtoreach
the highestamountof ultimate andintermediatebeneficiariesandtherefore have the mostpositive
impacton reducingoutof school childrenandimprovingeducationopportunitiesforyouthinPapua
NewGuinea.
Conclusions:
PapuaNewGuineaistryingveryhard to improve the qualityof life andqualityof servicesavailable
to youngpeople acrossthe country.
It isveryclear fromthe existingresearchthatyoungpeopleinPapuaNew Guineasuffermore than
mostwhenit comesto accessto basicservicesanda consistentandqualityeducation system. This
becomesincreasinglytrue inrelationtogirlsandyoungwomen.
Howeveritwouldnotbe fairto simplypointthe blame atthe Governmentandschoolsforfailingto
provide the servicesandsystemswhichyoungpeople need.
The picture pertainingto‘Youth’issuesinPNGpaintsanall too familiarpicture of manyyearsof
well-intendeddiscussionandpolicydevelopmentandinternational aidsadlynotmatchedby
measurable actionorimprovementsinqualityof life foryoungpeople.
One couldsay that there hasbeena lotof talkand little coordinatedactiongoingoninthe area of
‘youth’overthe lastdecade.
Throughthisresearchprojectit hasalso become veryclearthatPapua New Guineaisfacinga huge
challenge withhowtoaddressone of the biggestandtime sensitive problemsoverthe coming
decade.
Anypreviousprojectsorprogrammesof workto addressoutof educationyouthinPNGhave all
beenona small scale and predominantlylocal level.
A disproportionate amountof these projectsworkingwithyoungpeoplehave beenconducted
withinurbanenvironmentssuchasPortMoresbyand Lae despite the factthatover75% of PNG’s
overall populationliveinrural areas.
The onlyofficial andfullypublishedNational Populationcensusis thatof the Year 2000, which
clearlyshowsthatover76% of Papua New Guinea’sentirepopulationisunderthe age of 34.
(There hasbeena more recent2011 National censuscompleted,howeverthe final breakdownof
data figuresare yetto be fullypublished andreleasedtothe public.)
The 2000 censusalsohighlightsthatover40% of the entire populationisbetweenthe agesof 0 to
14 yearsof age.
Allowingforapopulationgrowthrate of approximately3% (AsacceptedbyUNICEF2014) it
positions ‘Youth’atthe verytopof PNG’slargestindividual populationgroupingsandhighlightsthis
groupas a particularlyvulnerableone.
1. Key observations
If there was one keyobservationwhichstandsoutthrough thisresearchitwouldbe thatthe vast
majorityof reportsand studiesintoyouthissuesaffectingPNGhave focussedonanurban
environmentsuchasPort Moresbyand Lae ratherthan a more rural attention.
AlthoughexactNational populationnumbersare still beingcompiledatthe time of writingin2015 it
isalreadyclearfrom previousCensusdataandmore recentstudiesbyPEPEthat upwardsof 75% of
PNG’s7.2 millionpeopleliveinrural andoftenveryremote areas.

25. 25
The evidence presentedthroughthe literaturereview showsclearlythatthe initiativesandattempts
to improve Youthissuesoverthe last20 yearsin PNGhave beenpredominantlyRe-Active rather
than Pro-Active.
A goodexample of thiswouldbe the currentUYEP and OOSCI programmescurrentlybeinginitiated
inPort Moresbyby bothThe Governmentof PNGandfundedbyThe World Bank.
Thisprojectfocussesentirelyonthe local NCDand Capital DistrictYouthcalledthe MotuKoita
Youth.
As PortMoresbyis the Capital Cityandfeaturesheavilyinthe mediaforoftennegativereasons,it
inspiresreactionfromitslocal governmentministersandthislogically leadsontolocallyfocussed
programmesof workto addressyouthissuesaffectingthe Capital CityandNCDProvince.
Sadly howeverthisapproachisnotgoingto offera longtermor sustainable solutiontothe growing
problemof urbanmigrationwhichisa rapidlyincreasingproblem.
Young people are movinginlarge numbersfromtheirrural communitiesandintothe urbancentres
at an alarmingrate. Accordingto a 2010 surveyentitled The Motu-Koitaof inner-cityPortMoresby
Draft Social Assessmentforthe National Capital DistrictCommission the population growthrate of
youthmovingintoPortMoresbyhas beenestimated at13%.
Thoughthe individual reasonsgivenbyyoungpeople forwhytheyleavetheirrural homesandmove
intothe largertownsand citiesare variedandmany itwouldbe fairto offera generalisedand
overall reasonbehindthese reasons.
Simplyput, neitherNational nor Provincial level governmenthasdirectedenoughresources or
action into improvingthe livesofyoung people at source, withintheirown towns and villages
especiallyinrural areas.
If the nextdecade istooffera genuine opportunityof animprovedqualityof life,accessto
education,jobsandlivelihoodsthentheremustbe adramatic and rapidchange of directionin
PapuaNewGuineato re-focuspolicyandNational initiativesbacktomore districtandrural areas.to
If this approachcan be effectivelyimplementedandsustained,thenthe flow of youngpeople into
urban areasin searchof a perceivedbetterlifewill be significantlyreduced.
Appendices
I wouldlike tothankthe followingorganisationsandtheirteamsforall the supportandinformation
providedduringthisresearchproject.
Withouttheirhelpandcooperationthisresearchreportwouldnothave beenpossible.
Thislistisby no meansrepresentativeof all the people andorganisationwhohave offered
assistance tome over the durationof thisresearchand I wishtoofferthanksto themall as well (you
knowwhoyou are).
 The National YouthDevelopmentAuthority
 FODE
 LudwinaBogea– SHB SOCAYTrainingInstitute
 Caritas
 The National ArchivesandLibrariesSecretariat
 The CatholicChurch EducationBoard
 CityMission
 The SalvationArmy
 Horizont3000
 VSOVolunteersandresearchers

26. 26
 VSOInternational Financeand FundingTeams(JohnLindon,Purna Shrestha)
 TribeFM
 The NCD Youth Desk
 UN Women– JurgitaSereikaite
 VSOPNG EducationTeam(Richard Jones,EmilySnowden,Nadine PairaandMarshall Jauk)
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