Census data shows education

Source: 

The National, Thursday 26th 2012

By DULCIE OREKE
IT is evident that systematic reforms, including education reforms at all levels since 1993, have not had the desired impact on access, retention and quality of education, Education Minister Theodore Zurenuoc says.
He said student enrolment data showed that only 11.5% of six-year-olds in the country were admitted to elementary prep to begin their formal education.
He said 88.5% of the six-year-olds were not admitted.
Speaking during the launch of the new universal basic education policy framework released in Port Moresby yesterday,  Zurenuoc said the 2007 annual school census data showed that of the total number of children who had access to basic education, only 45.3% completed Gr 8.
"The other 54.7% of the children did not complete a full nine years of basic education," he said.
"There are a plethora of reasons for the poor access and completion rates," he said.
He said the contributing factors had been well researched and documented by the National Research Institute.
He said NRI had clearly shown that parents, guardians and caregivers "do not have the financial capacity to pay school fees".