Comments

A fair and accurate summary. There is now almost no light at the end of the tunnel, and I doubt that ICAC will change that.

Hi Charlie, You raised the important social issue which the present government of Peter O'Neill and Leo Dion and are very un-precise in their political dealing with this national's future especially in regard to the land in Papua New Guinea which the indigenous peoples of this nation owns.

Camilla, that’s a very interesting pieces of interview. Others may share their views on the interview but one important concern that we can raise on RJIA project into community in Pogera or elsewhere is “sustainability” of such community project. Even if there are women volunteers breaking the barriers to promote, advocate and bring to justice the social issues, how long it can be sustained and built on is the concern. Hope Everlyne and her RJIA gets support from Laiagam Pogera DDA and the District Administration with funding and other formal support to continue their community project. Barrick Gold funding support cannot be seen as sustainable.

Hi Somandin, Thanks for your comment. You raise an important point - as more students enter primary school and then progress into secondary school, what can students expect to do once they finish grade 12? As you say, these reforms should also provide students with pathways for continued development beyond secondary school. The TFF does fund vocational education and training but as a policy it does not connect with the higher education sector. Is this "access cliff", where large numbers of secondary school leavers cannot get into university, the best approach? Open distance education will help to a degree but it is not a close substitute to direct university education as far as I can tell. Perhaps a better approach is to not completely do away with academic standards for entry to secondary school, thereby limiting numbers until the capacity of the entire education system (including universities) can handle higher growth in student numbers. There are important trade-offs that are implicitly being made in PNG's education policy. These trade-offs should be more openly acknowledged and discussed, and broad agreement reached on what is the best approach to take. Tony

in the early 1990s there were also some changes to the lower education sector. these changes includes the reform from non-formal tokples pre-school to elementary school, community school to primary school and provincial high school to secondary school. whilst the GoPNG concentrates on these reforms we forgot that the actual out put of this reforms will be the input to the tertiary education sector. after 10 years and on-wards we are seeing the effects of this reforms by having the number of our grade twelves increasing and many missing out on spaces in the tertiary education sector. with the current TFF policy and the removal of grades 8 and 10 exam will only make it more challenging for us to absorb ever increasing number of students. these reforms are not bad for the country but are things we want and planned for, but we have failed to strike a balance in reforming our tertiary education sector to match the expected outcome of our reforms. recommendation. the GoPNG should now concentrate on providing quality to the lower education sector and improve excess and quality in the higher education sector.

The highway to hell starts from paradise... Bri has a point of contention with what happened out there, but going back to PNG, we have this "block voting" active and alive, opposed to party line. Tribal, marriage, and customary alliance is still active.. minus the anticipated party manifesto. This election might go with the latter.... We hope for changes, but the current government has 'institutionalised' itself like nothing seen before. If the fraud court cases, task force sweep, student protests.... all fell shot of achieving an outcome. The chances of this government returning to form the 10th Parliament is looming.

I think there is no guarantee in funds commitment to such abrupt statements, until done otherwise. In fact, aid posts here have not dwindled but all shutdown long time ago, because of funding. If state facilities are hard to manage, church-run facilities operate better in rural settings, we just need the DSIP and PSIP monies diverted to them. In stead, the devolution of powers through the DDA Act gave open checkbooks to District Administrators and District treasurers at their disposal. Some of them leave no traces... while rural clinics remain closed.

Australia's two Parliamentary Committee reports mentioned above, recommending that our government provides additional resources for nutrition programs in the Asia-Pacific region, is indeed heartening. As with many written tomes, the words are impressive. While most lucky Ozzies - including politicians - plan Christmas dinners, those abhorrent high rates of malnutrition and stunting in our neighbouring countries' young children, should make us all determined to see those impressive words put into practice during 2017.

Well said the commentaries What the current situation at the health centres and the numerous difficulties faced by mothers and sisters in rural and urban centres are explained well by Dr Mola, the PM should read this. The idea on compulsory push for mothers to deliver babies at a health centre will not improve on maternal and child mortality rate of this country. Many socio economic policies initiated by current government already proved to fail (free health and education policy, compulsory basic education for school age kids, SME) so this proposed policy to push all pregnant mothers to a health centre for delivery is an unrealistic option. The real problem is meeting the needs of the health centres to competently deliver services and improve the health indicators envisioned by PM. Basically the PM should not think hard but categorise them into three basic approaches; (1) build health centres with adequate space & facilities, (2) upscale skills and manpower of staffing and (3) procure & supply appropriate equipment/drugs for health centre, then the PM’s dream of improving PNG maternal and child health will bear some fruits. The answer to the problem is not with Cuban doctors, do not take the fight too far into the Caribbean but back to Waigani, Treasury, Finance and to specialist like Dr Mola for advice.

Thanks Collin, I am proud to be part of the team on the ground....thumbs up!

Thank you Professor Mola, your insights should be one of consultation by the PM. Many of your colleagues, knowledgeable in the issue seems to be left in the dark as well. PM may have a great vision but it needs to be founded in reality.

Congratulations Nematullah. This work provides an excellent insight into the complexities of sovereign aid motivators. I am interested to know more about how transparency is perceived as a tool to portray a nation as having sound governance, in an attempt to attract future funds; whilst, as mentioned in your article remaining corrupt. Transparency needs to be deeper than just providing information, confidence in the information's compilation and motivation needs to be considered. A great read. Best wishes.