In 2012, the government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) re-launched its Tuition Fee‑Free (TFF) Policy for elementary through grade 12, as part of the country’s Universal Basic Education Plan. In 2025, the program was rebranded as the Government Free Education Policy (GFEP), a renewed commitment by the current administration to pay tuition for all children in early childhood centres, primary, secondary, vocational and flexible-learning institutions. This demonstrates PNG’s ambition to ensure every child receives 13 years of quality education.

Each year, the government allocates hundreds of millions of kina (for 2025 approximately K860 million) to keep the system running free of direct fees for families. In principle, this should eliminate one of the major obstacles to access for many PNG families. As an education official recently stated, “With GFEP, finances must no longer stand between a child and the classroom.”

Access, Enrollment and Transition

Primary-level enrollment in PNG has improved since the reintroduction of free education, and according to recent data, around 64% of students now successfully transition from the final grade of primary school to lower secondary school. This shows progress, but also highlights that more than one in three children still drop out at the primary-to-secondary transition. Secondary school gross enrollment is modest: World Bank data lists PNG’s secondary gross enrollment ratio at nearly 43% as of 2023.

Since many children still leave school early, the hope that fee-free schooling would translate into broad secondary completion remains elusive. In remote and rural regions, access to functional schools, especially beyond primary, is still limited, with poor infrastructure, frequent teacher shortages, and insufficient learning materials.

Despite the challenges, PNG has expanded its higher-education infrastructure. As of 2025, the country has grown to include six public universities, four private universities and over 50 technical/vocational colleges, compared with just one university in 1975. This expansion implies growing capacity to absorb upper-secondary graduates seeking further training or university degrees. However, demand currently outpaces capacity, as reports indicate that among ~30,000 Grade 12 graduates in 2025, only ~11,500 secured tertiary placements.

For many young Papua New Guineans, limited tertiary slots and weak vocational-education pathways mean that even completing secondary school often doesn’t guarantee post-school opportunity.

Challenges and Looking Ahead  

PNG continues to suffer deep structural issues in delivering good-quality education. A 2024 report by the World Bank described the country as facing a “human capital crisis”, noting that 70% of Grade 5 students cannot read at grade level. Many schools lack basic facilities, and teacher under-training is a massive problem. Additionally, spending per student has decreased by almost 20% over the past decade, even as the student population rises. 

PNG’s 2025–2027 Education Sector Development Plan lays out a roadmap focused on infrastructure investment, expansion of early-childhood education and stronger education management systems. Key to success will be not only maintaining fee-free access, but also ensuring resources match enrollment and reducing dropouts at the critical primary-to-secondary transition. Partnerships with UNICEF and other development agencies remain crucial to efforts to build inclusive, child-centred schooling, especially in remote and rural areas.

Education advocates argue that PNG must now shift from access to learning quality and equity. As one community leader recently said, “We must turn free enrollment into real learning, real opportunities, and real futures for our children.” Whether PNG can transform that aspiration into reality will be a defining test – not just for its education system, but for its future social stability and economic potential.

– Jeff Zhou

Photo: Flickr