The National, Monday 30th April 2012
http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/32107
By JEFFREY ELAPA

THE government will pass a legislation to make free education compulsory in Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill said.
He said this while opening five double classrooms at Keapara Primary School in the Hood Lagoon area, Rigo district, Central, last Saturday.
He said his People National Congress party and coalition partners believed strongly in education as the catalyst for change in society.
He said his priority was to rebuild the education system and the educational infrastructures.
O’Neill said on top of the K70 million paid for free education, government hoped to deliver infrastructure grants to all educational institutions.
He said the funds would go straight to the schools so that the teachers, management and parents could control them.
He said countries which became independence around the same time as PNG had developed so fast because they had invested in their human resources.
He said he was looking at giving students the right to education by paying their fees.
After that, schools would be given the opportunity to improve on infrastructure to give them a better learning environment.
He also donated K500,000 for equipment for the new classrooms.
O’Neill also committed K1.5 million for the church and multi-purpose development centre and another K200,000 for sports and church activities