Department clarifies selections for tertiary institutions

The National Main Stories

THE Grade Point Average (GPA) is not the only criteria that tertiary institutions consider when selecting students, but also the subject combinations, according to the Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Department.
Department acting secretary Fr Jan Czuba explained that each university or tertiary institution had their own criteria.
“For instance, at the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG), a student can score all As,” Czuba said.
“But (because they) put UPNG as a second choice, (they) automatically won’t be accepted.”
Czuba was responding to concerns raised by parents and Grade 12 students who had scored good marks, but were not selected by the institution of their choice.
He said the subject combinations taken by students in secondary school might be different from the requirement by the institution of their choice. “Students who have a good GPA cannot get to a programme they apply for, even if the subject combination is good because institutions have the freedom (to pick who they want),” Czuba said.
“We cannot interfere (with) their standards and criteria.”
Czuba also noted that the 2023 academic year had the “lowest standard”.
“We still have the space, we still have students in the National Admission Pool because there is such a low academic level, and we are waiting for institutions to take some students,” he said.

22 comments

  • Then why is there even a need for second/third choices? Also, awareness needs to be carried out to educate teachers and students about the required subject combinations for each tertiary institution’s programs. By the look of it, there seem to be no communication between DHERST, tertiary institutions and teachers/students regarding this matter. Now students are left in limbo.

    • Many changes in GPA in most institutions happened when restructuring all systems also signals late messages to students. Now the admission pool remedy. No quality control for all students.

  • This will definitely place students at a disadvantage as tertiary institutions can and will pick students who may not have the required GPAs

  • Abolish those other choices systems if you cannot accept students on 2nd or 3rd choices. It’s deceptive and confusing students.

    • Support the idea… abolish the 2nd, 3rd etc choices structure because there is no need when tertiary institutions refuse to consider the preferences.
      Have grade 12 students make critical choice to select institution they prefer first on merit.
      Then I urge DHERST to create more rooms rather neglect students with required GPA.

  • Online selection is observed to be a bias system introduced by the government.when the institutions have their own selection criteria and can hand pick any student even with low GPAs. and scoring Bs. From the parents point of view we thought that there is a unique way of selection done by the computerized system but from the secretary’ explanation it meant to be otherwise, meaning selection is done by the institutions using their criteriion and even beyond that – their wantok selection.

    I say bias because some of the top students of Mt Hagen Secondary school who scored all As with strong A’s in Legal studies and put their first choices in law at UPNG were overlooked and we’re not selected.. From a layman’ s point of view I feel that this does not go down well with DHERST secretary’s explanation.

  • Its better to disqualified the 3 chances or options.
    Who ever meet the requirement according to the courses would be selected

  • PNG Government, create more universities to allocate all our GR12 students, NO ONE IS A FAILURE When they are in this grade. There should be minimal coarse that require those with low GPA to continue their university studies in different filed that they a good at. NO one should be going homeless to his own province or village all should be at the university. Try to look at other countries like China, India etc and get that structure set up here in PNG. So that everyone can full fill the hard work of their poor parents. Usim head na mekim wok big boy. PNG need a bigger change in our education systems especially at the top level so we can be fully develop.

  • That is not true. My nephew got all straight A’s, His first choice was UPNG to study Law Unfortunately was not selected. Instead they selected him to Holy Trinity Teachers College, which was his fifth choice. What does that tell us.There is definitely something wrong somewhere.The online selection has been manipulated.I saw the list for Law, this students have GPA less then 4. Is this a joke, DHERST need to admit your mistakes and reconsider this students.

  • In regard to Fr. Jan Czuba’s explanation and clarification of the students selections to Universities and higher institutions, I see that there is no proper communication from the education department to the secondary schools..This is really injustice.. Most of the good students are left out..This is one of the contributing factor to the problems youths are coming up with in PNG..Does the PNG government have plans for these left out students? The National Education Department emphasized on the implementation of the new policies,plans and curriculum . Implementers (Teachers) do the best in executing these policies and plans and yet ,it is very sad to see most of the students being left out because of the criterias set …PNG government should provide more institutions and universities.

  • Education department should revisit the subjects that are taught in secondary schools must be related to colleges and university programs, eg History shouldn’t be taught in secondary schools but be taught in high schools.

  • What about us the students who has 3.6 gpa and had put all our five choices at the same university but was not accepted and put into the national admission pool? Will that university consider us again in the national admission pool because we have given all our five choices to that institution instead of other institutions?

  • Some of us during the grace period they gave us green light for upng and they selected us on our second choice which they make us feel down..

  • It would be nice if the State-owned Universities accommodate all kids with good marks or passed the GPA Requirement in the opted Universities.

  • The standard of entry point GPA targeted into Higher Education Institutions depend on students choices. On the other hand educational institutions have own entry policies and principles to guide the students entry GPAs . All have to be competent to participate in todays digital competing world .

  • The final gradings given out on certificates as I have enquired is 75 percent from external exam and 25 percent from internal assessment. Would it be unfair to decide a future of a student based on result of the just on one week examination being taken? I think 60 – 40 or 50 – 50 percent to decide on final gradings would be fair.

  • What happens to students who are selected from the admission pool? Should they check acceptance letters from the institutions they are selected?

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