A leading educationist has called for a stop to political interference in the public sector to secure the country for the future generation, as the country enters its tenth national election.
Former Chancellor of the University of Goroka, Dr. Joseph Sukwianomb, said: “To secure the sovereignty of the Independent of Papua New Guinea, is to secure the Parliament and its responsibilities and then we can deal with the public sector reforms to make sure the public sector functions independently, outside political circles.”
Dr. Sukwianomb was among key stakeholders at a seminar organized by the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission (CLRC) last Friday to vet the draft report on the review on the education laws.
He welcomed the findings and recommendations in the draft report, and the review itself as a timely intervention but also warned that this will not change anything if the governance and leadership issues are not addressed.
He added that bureaucrats should also stand united to advise politicians of the clear demarcations of their roles and responsibilities.
“Many politicians do not come from the experience that we have so we also have the duty and responsibility to have them educated,” he said.
He further called for the re-establishment of the public sector reform unit within the Prime Minister’s Department that would anchor and properly realign and coordinate all public sector reforms including the reform into the education laws.
Launched in July 29, 2021, the review holistically assessed the entire education system including all the relevant policies and legislations such as the Education Act 1983, and the National Education Plan 2020-2029 and recommended solutions for a broad range of pertinent issues with the ultimate goal to achieve universal, quality, affordable and accessible education for everyone,