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A philosophy is a way of thinking about life and its meaning. It is an approach to understanding the world around us and its processes. There have been education systems and philosophies in PNG for many years and there have been many schools in PNG for almost a century now.
Traditionally, education was the responsibility of the father and mother and the local community. The introduction of schools, whether administered by missions or colonial administration, it took a large part of that responsibility away from our parents and the community.
In the past a child was taught by a few well known people or persons, but today a child is taught by a lot of strangers from one level to another. How many teachers have taught you from 2000 to 2010, one will have to ask? Traditionally, a child learned by observing and doing. Today, how many hours a day should a child be expected to sit at a desk to learn?
The strength and vigor of education today can be seen and measured by the wide range of changes and innovations that are taking place in so many areas as our educators try to respond to these needs. However, these rapid change and development need a firm rational foundation, otherwise, innovations may degenerate into a series of things which are here today and gone tomorrow.
The constitutional system of government in PNG is a decentralized unitary system in the sense that all powers and responsibilities are to be shared by the national, provincial, and local level governments.
The philosophy of education for Papua New Guinea acknowledges the National Goals and Directive Principles in the National Constitution, and is based on integral human development:
Integral, in a sense that all aspects of the person are important; human, in a sense that social relationships are basic and development, in a sense that every individual has the potential to grow in knowledge, wisdom, understanding, skill and goodness. Education therefore, must aim for integrating and maximizing socialization, participation, liberation and equality. The ultimate goal of this philosophy is for every person to receive an education which results in integral human development.
The philosophy of education gives direction for learning and living. These directions are interpreted by those who manage the education system and translated them into policies, plans and strategies for implementation in the educational institutions. However, this philosophy is therefore, has implications for those who manage it and are managed by, the education system.
It is a credit to the Department of Education that so much has been achieved and so many exciting innovations, developments and changes have been implemented since independence. There are many significant milestones that have occurred over the last 25 years. These include:
1. The Tololo Committee – 1974
2. The Matane Report – 1985
3. The Jomtien Declaration of Education for All (EFA) 1990
4. Conference of the Council of Education Ministers – 1991
5. The National Education Reform Task Force – 1992
6. The National Education Plan – 1996
7. Provincial Education Plans – 1995-1998
8. Department of Education Corporate Plan – 1997
9. TVET Corporate Plan – 1999
10. National Skills Plan – 1999/2000
11. Asia Pacific Education For All Conference, Thailand – 2000
12. World Education For All Conference, Senegal – 2000.
The Tololo Committee, 1974: The people of Papua New Guinea were not happy with the direction that the colonial administrators set for education. Therefore, in 1974 a committee was established and chaired by the then Director of Education, Mr. Alkan Tololo, with an entirely Papua New Guinean membership, drafted a post-Independence five year education plan. The plan proposed that schooling be community based, the use of vernaculars would be emphasized, and education should be linked to development and more widely and more equally provided.
The Matane Report: This report was published in 1985 entitled ‘A Philosophy of Education’. The report was seen as the birth of the education reforms, in particular the reform of the curriculum.
The success of such an education system requires the integrated involvement of all the agents of education; home, church, school, community and others. Within this scope the school must integrate knowledge, skills and attitudes to create subject matter appropriate for producing the desired outcome of integral human development.
A Declaration of Education for All (EFA): This declaration was signed in Jomtien, Thailand in 1990. By signing this agreement, the National Government of Papua New Guinea, along with other nations of the world, committed itself to providing Education For All.
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