Academia Nomad

Many students meet the requirement set by the universities, and even exceed them by large margins, but still miss out due to limited spaces. At the primary school level (grade 8), and high school level (grade 10) even higher number of students miss out because they do not meet the requirements of secondary schools. In 2019, we reached out to someone who has been assisting students to pursue studies through other pathways. Mrs Simiong conducts awareness called “EDUCATION PARTH WAYS FOR SCHOOL DROP OUTS” where she talks to young women on how they can advance their education. Her advice is helpful for students who may want to pursue their education….

By Mrs Lingewe Peiva Simiong

EDUCATION PARTH WAYS FOR SCHOOL DROP OUTS 

This article highlights three main ways that are currently available for school drop-outs to continue their education after being rejected from the mainstream. 

1. FODE –Flexible Open Distance Education.  (Formerly called College of Distance Education-CODE).This system is directly attached to Provincial Education system but independently administered from Waigani. It has centres in all main towns across the country. FODE system provides syllabuses for Grades 6 to Grade 10 with the recent inclusion for Grades 11 and 12. 

FODE centre enrolments:

1. Enrolment of any Grade six (6) drop outs from formal primary schools to do Grade seven (7) through FODE and continue onto grade ten (10) and obtain grade ten (10) certificate.

• Enrolment of any grade eight (8) drop outs from formal primary schools to repeat grade eight (8)  and continue onto Grade nine (9) and ten (10) or do Grade nine (9) and continue onto Grade ten (10) and obtain grade ten (10) certificate. There is no age limitation for this partway.

• Enrolment of any Grade ten (10) drop outs from formal secondary schools to repeat Grade ten (10) and obtain Grade ten (10) certificate with better results and seek space in formal secondary school systems, to do grade eleven (11).

• With the inclusion of Grade eleven (11) and twelve (12) syllabuses recently, any Grade ten (10) drop outs can enrol to do Grade eleven (11) and twelve (12) and obtain a Grade twelve (12) certificate through FODE and apply for tertiary institutions in the country. Or those who have completed grade ten (10) through FODE can continue to do Grade eleven (11) and twelve (12).

Subjects Offered at FODE

• Subjects offered at FODE for grades 7, 8, 9 and 10 includes: 
• English,
• Mathematics,
• Science and 
• Social Science. 

• Major Subjects offered at FODE for grades 11 and 12 includes: 
• English,
• Advance Mathematics
•  General Mathematics
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Biology
• Geography
• History and  
• Economics

How to enrol at FODE

Following steps will be required to complete the enrolment at ant FODE Centre. 

1. Present relevant certificate (Grade 6, Grade 8, Grade 10, and Grade 12) to the nearest FODE Centre and request enrolment.
2. Fill out application form and select numbers of subjects to be done.

• Participate in the entry test on a scheduled date and issuance of entry test results.

• Payment of the subject fees at the bank and presentation of the receipt 

• Issuance of the subject materials, assignment and the schedules for completion of each of the subject.

• Sit for subject examinations at the end of the year based on schedules issued by the FODE Office

• Issuance of certificate and transcript based on the cumulative assessments 

For further information, check FODE website by clicking this link.For more information on entry test and other requirements, check this link.For more information on course offered see here, and to contact the respective provincial representatives check this link.

• DODL UNITECH – “DODL(Department Of Open and Distance Learning) is an adult matriculation centre offered by the University of Technology. The DODL study centres are located in all major centres of Papua New Guinea including:

1. Alotau Study Centre
2. Arawa Study Centre
3. Daru Study Centre 
4. Goroka Study Centre
5. Kavieng Study Centre 
6. Kimbe Study Centre
7. Kokopo study centre
8. Kudiawa Study Centre
9. Lae Study Centre study – Unitech
10. Lorengau Study Centre
11. Madang Study Centre
12. Mendi Study Centre
13. Mt Hagen study centre
14. NDC Study Centre – Gerehu Secondary school
15. Popondetta Study Centre
16. Wabag Study Centre
17. Wewak Study Centre

The adult matriculation for University of Technology (Unitech) is now open. You can visit their website to download the application forms by clicking here.

DODL Enrolments

• DODL enrols Grade 10 school leavers to do Grade 11 and 12 certificates with transcripts. This is called adult matriculation studies.

• DODL also enrols candidates who have completed Grade twelve (12) in the formal education system to upgrade and better their results before applying for tertiary studies.

Courses or Subjects offered at DODL for adult Matriculation studies (any Grade 10 drop outs with Grade 10 certificate)

Persons interested in doing Grade 11 through DODL can choose either science pathway or social science pathway.

Science pathway subjects for Grade 11                                

• English 1
• Mathematics 1
• Physics 1
• Chemistry 1
• Biology 1

Science pathway subjects for Grade 12

• English 2
• Mathematics 2
• Physics 2
• Chemistry 2
• Biology 2

Social Science pathway subjects for Grade 11                                

• English 1
• Mathematics 1
• Geography 1
• History 1
• Economics 1

Social Science pathway subjects for Grade 12

• English 2
• Mathematics 2
• Geography 2
• History 2
• Economics 2

Click this linkto learn more about the current adult and grade 12 matriculation program.

Courses or subjects offered at DODL for candidates seeking to upgrade their Grade 12 results 

Persons seeking enrolment to upgrade Grade 12 results are allowed choose either of the two pathways, the Science and the social science based on subject they studied in Grade 12.

How to Enrol at DODL

1. Adult Matriculation studies

1. Person interested in adult matriculation studies can present their Grade 10 certificate at the nearest DODL study centres and request for an application form. 

• Issuance of the application form and a bank deposit form is issued. 

• On the registration form, you can fill in your details and choose your pathway of studies, either science pathway or social science pathway.

• You will then be advised to pay up the subject fees for each subject you have indicated to take.

• There are two semesters each year so you can divide your subjects into the two semesters and complete grade 11 and then you can do the same with Grade 12.

• When you complete grade 12 at DODL, you will then apply for a grade 12 certificate. Application form will be provided by the DODL study centre you enrolled in.

• DODL study centre and PNG Unitech liaises with the Department of Education for the issuance of Grade 12 certificate for students who complete their studies at the centre. 

• Certificate and transcript issued by the DODL study centre can be used in pursuing studies at the UoT as well as other institutions in the country. 

• Grade 12 School leavers 

1. Persons interested upgrading their Grade 12 results can present their Grade 12 certificate at any of the DODL centres.

• An application or registration form will be given to be completed and submitted with the receipt of payment for the subject fee.

• DODL Program is spread over two semesters therefore a student can have the freedom to enrol in semester 1 or semester 2 to upgrade one or two subjects. At least two subjects are offered per semester and therefore to upgrade two or more subject, a student must enrol for both semesters. 

• Transcript with upgraded result is issued by the DODL study centre which can be used in pursuing studies at the UoT as well as other institutions in the country. 

Tutors (teachers) of DODL

• DODL Unitech gives the responsibility to each of its study centres to recruit specialised secondary school teachers to be tutors of the respective subjects offered. These tutors teach two (2) hours of lessons per week, normally over the weekends (that is, Saturdays and Sundays). One semester runs for 15 weeks, 14 weeks of lesson and the last week is the exam week for the semester.

Assessment

• During the course of the semester, students are required to do six (6) assignments for the subject they are enrolled for. The only exception is mathematics which is nine (9) assignments. These assignments are prepared by the tutors of the respective subject and makes up 30% of the assessment. At the end of the semester, students do an examination for each subject they are enrolled for, which makes up 70% of the assessment. All examinations are uniformly prepared by the DODL headquarters at Unitech and are delivered to each study centres to be administered.
• The semester for students is over after the examinations are conducted. Examinations are marked and added onto the assignment marks and sent to Unitech for the final grade to be processed. 

For information on where DODL is offered, including centres and specific locations, click thislink.

• UPNG OPEN COLLEGE (Formerly Open campus) 

UPNG Open Campusoffers opportunity to Grade 12 school leavers to enrol when their GPA is below the requirement set by the four schools and they are left out of the main selection process of the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG). Four schools of UPNG are:

1. School of Law
2. School of Natural and Physical Science 
3. School of Business Administration 
4. School of Social Science and Art 

UPNG Open College Campuses in Papua New Guinea 

Open Campuses.

1. NCD Open Campus
2. Kokopo Open Campus
3. Madang Open Campus
4. Buka Open Campus
5. Hagen Open Campus

Provincial University Centers.

1. Enga University Centre
2. Mendi University Centre
3. Simbu University Centre
4. Morobe University Centre
5. Oro University Centre
6. Milne Bay University Centre
7. West New Britain University Centre
8. Manus University Centre
9. New Ireland University Centre
10. Wewak University Centre

Franchise Sub Centers

1. Help Resource Centre Wewak.
2. Institute of Business Studies (IBS).
3. CDI-Moro Foundation- Moro SHP

The contact for the main office for Open Campus can be found here.

How to apply for UPNG Open College  

Follow these six (6) steps 

1. Get the Application Form for the University of Papua New Guinea.

You can get the Student Application form from the following places: At any of the Open Campuses and Provincial University Centres. All Centers location and contact details are listed on Step 5: Go for Registration below.If you have access to Internet, you can download the form in PDF format from the UPNG Website.

• Choose your desired Program which is available through the UPNG Open College.

The Study Programs are offered by the University of Papua New Guinea Academic Schools. The Schools that have Programs on offer through Distance Learning are from the following Schools. The programs the school offers are listed under it. 

• School of Business Administration (SBA). 
• Diploma in Accounting 
• Bachelors Degree in Accounting 
• Bachelors Degree in Business Management 
• Bachelors Degree in Public Policy Management 
• School of Humanities & Social Sciences (SHSS). 
• Bachelors Degree in Education. 
• Bachelors Degree in Arts. 
• School of Natural & Physical Sciences (SNPS).
• Bachelors of Science (Foundation Year only and offered only at the 4 Open Campuses. NCD, Kokopo, Buka, Madang).

• Launch your application Form. 

Once you have got the Application Form and chosen your program you can launch the Application. To launch the application; 

1. Fill the Application Form with all the required information. 
2. Make sure all the required attachments are intact, such as copies of certificates and etc. 
3. Pay the Registration Fee of K20.00 into the UPNG Account indicated on the Form. 
4. Attach the Registration to your filled Application. 
5. Bring it to the Open Campuses or University Centre closest to you. Or you can post it.          direct to; 

The Executive Officer 

UPNG OPEN COLLEGE 

P.O.BOX 341 

University, NCD, Papua New Guinea. 

• Confirm your acceptance.

The University of Papua New Guinea receives so many applications academic year and it publishes all the accepted Applicants in a list in the local newspapers as the official Acceptance List. The University may respond to individual students notifying them of the application outcome not to all. Acceptance listed published in the newspapers is often regarded as the official notification. The list is published mid-December for the following academic year and around June for 2nd Semester applicants.

• Go for Registration at your desired UPNG Open Campuses or Provincial University Centres.

Accepted students can report to the Open Campuses and Provincial Universities of choice to register on the official registration week. The Registration Date and other related details are published with the Acceptance list. 

• Contact appropriate people for assistance during your study.

Successful applicants must make it their responsibility to contact appropriate people and follow up on their own progress. 

• TVET AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES –Technical Vocational Education training and community colleges.

These refer to institutions like vocational schools and community colleges set up by the government and non-governmental organisations like churches.

The motive for these institutions is to train any Grade 6, Grade 8, grade 10 and Grade 12 school leavers in any trades and graduate them with trade certificates to better their lives by seeking employment or use these skills to do something for themselves.

Some examples of trade certificates to be obtained from these institutions are

1. Trade certificate in motor mechanics
2. Trade certificate in carpentry
3. Trade certificates in brick laying
4. Trade certificate in cookery
5. Trade certificate in sewing
6. Trade certificate in tourism and hospitality
7. Trade certificate in panel beating
8. Trade certificate in office management
9. Trade certificate in plumbing

For more information about TVET, including the email addresses of each of the centres, check this link.

For Grade 12 students who missed out on selections to tertiary institutions in PNG, and adults who may want to pursue studies, University of Technology’s DODL and University of Papua New Guinea’s Open College may be the best option. For Grade 8 students who were not selected for Grade 9, and Grade 10 students who were not considered for Grade 11, the best option would be FODE. For anyone interested in technical education, TVET is the best choice. 

About the Guest Contributor: Lingewe Peiva Simiong

Lingewe Peiva Simiong holds a Bachelor of Education (B-Ed) from the University of Goroka (UoG) specialising in Science and Home Economics and a Diploma in Science (DSc) from the University of Technology (UoT) specialising in Biology. She has taught in a number of high school and secondary schools in the country including Sogeri National High School. She is currently teaching Biology at Port National High School. Apart from teaching in the classroom, Lingewe is a passionate advocator for female education. She maintains that education is the principal factor that determines liberation of women in PNG. She advices all young female Papua New Guineans who are out of the mainstream education system to pursue life through other education pathways created by the Government.

“The race is not to the swift or battle to the strong…. but time and chance happen to them all” Ecclesiastes 9:11 

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Every year, about 20, 000 to 28, 000 students compete for 11, 000 spaces in tertiary institutions in Papua New Guinea (not counting non-school leavers or working class applying for undergraduate degree, and international – mostly other Pacific Islanders – applying to PNG institutions). Many students meet the requirement set by the universities, and even exceed them by large margins, but still miss out. To squeeze students into these limited spaces, the universities are raising the bar higher and higher, forcing out more and more qualified students as a result.

On Monday, I assisted a friend, who brought his nephew’s Grade 12 certificate and a screenshot of his choices. He scored an aggregate GPA (Grade Point Average) of 3.8 out of 4.0. His first choice was to study law at the University of Papua New Guinea’ Law School. His second choice was to study Political Science at the University of Papua New Guinea.

Minimum GPA for Law is 3.0, though one needs to score A or B for English (L&L) and Maths, and avoid getting a D grade for any of the subjects. Political Science entry requirement is even lower, at 2.75. With a GPA of 3.8, this kid was 0.8 points more than qualified to study Law, and 1. 3 points more than qualified to study politics (he was over qualified for both subjects).

He was not selected for either of his choices – Law & Politics, even though he exceeded the requirements. We first went to the law school and asked a senior law lecturer why he was not selected. His explanation was as follows:

The law school has quota or limit of 150 students in any given year. Of the 150 spaces, they must allocate a percentage to school leavers (those finishing Grade 12 the preceding year), a percentage to non-school leavers (those who have completed first degree either at UPNG or other tertiary institutions), and a percentage allocated to international students (usually other Pacific Islanders).

This year, they selected straight A students: that is, students with GPA of 4.0. Even after filling the quota with students with GPA of 4.0, there were still a large number of applicants with GPA of 4.0 who were left out. They were left out not because they were not qualified, but because the faculty does not have enough room to accommodate all the applicants who met the requirement to study law.

So how do they determine who gets selected and who misses out if both students qualify, or even qualify with exactly the same GPA, lets say 4.0.? First, remember the percentage allocated to school leavers, non-school leavers, and international students? Well, the applicants in each pool (percentage allocated to each group) compete among themselves. All school leavers compete for the school leavers sub-quota, which is about half (75 spaces). The non-school leavers and international students compete in their respective categories, which is the other 75 spaces divided among the two groups. Ideally, students with higher GPAs (4.0) gets selected ahead of my friend’s nephew (with a GPA of 3.8). Even then the guys with GPA of 4.0 cannot fit into their respective spaces because there are too many of them.

This is when the A(s) on your certificates are further grade into (A+) , (A) , and (A -) . There process is called Tertiary Selection Score. This method further classifies your grades into three sub-categories e.g. A minus (-A), A, and A plus (A+). If the norm referencing for English, or cut-off mark (set by the Measurement Services Unit) is that any grade above 70 marks is A, then the classifications would be as

follows:

-A: 70-80%

A: 81%-90

A+: 91%-100,

the three grades classified as ‘A’s are further are classified into sub- categories for selection purposes.

Okay, that explains why my friend’s nephew not getting into law, but why was he not selected for Political Science, his second choice? It is the same as the law problem. Politics, which has a quota of 30 (accepts 30 students every year), is way lower than Law quota of 150 (Politics is a discipline within Social Sciences and Humanities, whilst Law is a School of its own). Even though Politics has a minimum GPA requirement of 2.75, only students with straight A(s), GPA of 4.0 got selected because of limited spaces.

This UPNG case can be applied to all universities and tertiary institutions across the nation.

Because they use online selection, the students who do not get into tertiary institutions of their choice are automatically selected for course that they did not apply for, but have met the requirements. My friend’s nephew got selected to study a course at Divine Word University. He neither applied to study in DWU, let alone study the subject he is not selected to study. When students are selected for studies in other institutions or to study other subjects, they are usually selected ahead of students who actually applied to study the same course in that institution as their first choice. The former gets in because of higher GPA even though he did not apply for it. This means that students who have applied for that course, and have met the GPA miss out because their spaces are taken up by someone who did not apply for it at the first place.

Out hope now is to expand existing universities, and build new ones. There is always the debate about jobs. Where are the jobs when they graduate? Getting a job is not the goal, getting a net educated population is the goal. Having the highest per capita university graduate in the region should be our goal. With knowledge they can find their way in life.

This article was first published under the “Education” section of Academia_Nomad.

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