Review of the Diploma in Teaching Primary In-service Program in Papua New Guinea

Project Details

Dr Rhonda Di Biase, from the School of Education and Society, and Dr Emma Carter, from the Assessment & Evaluation Research Centre, recently travelled to Port Moresby to undertake a review of the newly accredited Diploma in Teaching Primary In-service program in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The review involves working closely with PNG partners and education stakeholders to understand the program’s implementation, experiences to date, and opportunities for future development.

A discussion with directors from Papua New Guinea Education Institute

The program, which has currently been implemented by four higher education institutions across PNG, including Divine Word University, Balimo College, Innovative University of Enga and the Papua New Guinea Education Institute (PNGEI), is designed to support practising teachers to upgrade their teaching qualifications from certificate to diploma level. It is delivered through a new block-mode model that enables teachers to undertake further study while remaining in their schools and continuing their teaching responsibilities, helping to minimise disruption to schools and communities.

Meeting with Colette Modagai from the National Department of Education, Papua New Guinea

The program is being implemented within the context of a significant national policy reform requiring teachers to upgrade both their general education qualifications to a minimum of Year 12 and their professional qualifications to diploma level. It is funded through the Australian High Commission as part of Partnerships for Improving Education. The goal of the review is to provide recommendations to strengthen the Diploma’s sustainability and replicability and inform its potential future scaling across all provinces of PNG.

Researchers

Dr Rhonda Di Biase (Co-Principal Investigator)

Dr Emma Carter (Co-Principal Investigator)