Education is now a Right for Papua New Guinea’s Children – not a Privilege

The Prime Minister Peter O’Neill  has committed to further deepen engagement with churches and to maintain free education as the nation prepares to pass judgment on the Government at the next election.

Speaking at the opening of the new Georita Memorial Church 2, in Maopa village on Friday, to thousands of people from around the Abau District of Central Province, the Prime Minister thanked the churches for their commitment.

“Churches are a very important part of our communities throughout the country,” PM O’Neill said.

“The churches hold our communities together and they fill in the role where governments have not been present.

“For many years after independence the church was filling the gap that should have been filled by Government

“That is why when we came into Government in 2011, and were returned after the elections in 2012, we made a very strong commitment as Government that we must partner with the churches.

“We made a very strong commitment to work with churches throughout the country and that is why we started putting funding into the churches.

“Today we are here to witness one of the occasions where the church community and the Government has partnered to build this church, the new Georita Memorial Church 2, that we see here today.”

The Prime Minister said the Government will continue to partner closely at the grassroots level.

“Transferring money directly into District through DSIP Funds is working for many districts throughout the country and people are seeing changes and this is having a greater impact on the livelihood of the people.

“Our Government is in its fifth year and we are changing Papua New Guinea.

“I was not born in the city, I was not born in some provincial town, I was born in the village like every one of you.

“So I know the sacrifice of our people that you have to make every day, but you have great opportunity before you.

“I grew up in the village to come to where I am today, and every one of you children have even better opportunity today.

“When we came in 2012 we got in early and said that education is the right of our children.

“School is no longer a privilege, it is a right of the children of our country.

Schooling is now the right of our children, it never was before, it was a privilege. Now it is a right of every Papua new Guinean child.

It is their right as a Papua New Guinean to go to school, and to get an education and to get a good job.

“When we educate our young kids they are the future of our country.

“When we educate our young kids they will be the future of our country, we must sacrifice for them.

“Nobody thought free education was possible before in our country.

Every year parents had to go around begging for school fees for their children.

“When the opposition criticises or fee free tuition, they are saying they want to take kids out if school, they want to stop education, and they want to condemn our nation’s future to repeat the problems of the past.

“Our Government has made it possible for every child in Papua New Guinea to have schooling as their right as a human being, and there is no way this policy will be changed.”

The Ministers accompanying the Prime Minister were Attorney General and Member for Rigo, Hon. Ano Pala, Public Service Minister and Member for Abau, Hon. Sir. Dr. Puka Temu, Minister for Mining, Hon. Byron Chan and the Governor for Central Province, Hon. Kila Haoda.

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