Basic Education

Elementary Education

Elementary Education is the first stage of the formal education system in Papua New Guinea. It consists of an Elementary Preparatory Grade (EP), Elementary Grade 1 (E1) and Elementary Grade 2 (E2). The language of learning in elementary school is in the language of the child’s community and introduction of common English words between E1 and E2. These three years of education adequately prepare a child for entry into primary school at Grade 3.

Curriculum

There are eighty-six main languages in the province. Vernacular programmes have been established in the six districts since the 1960s. Almost all of these programmes are run by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). Eighteen of these languages already have orthographies written by SIL Linguists. This will continue until all the main languages are completed.Project submissions are to be written and forwarded for funding by LLGs JDBPBPC.There are complex language issues in the Sandaun Province due to the large number of small languages.

Primary Education

Primary education caters for the 9 to 14 years age group in which lower primary education comprises Grade 3, 4 and 5 and upper primary comprises Grades 6, 7 and 8.

Schools in West Sepik

Because of the difficult geography of Sandaun Province and consequent communication difficulties, the Education Reform – which is ideally realized in the structure of Primary Education described – has not been fully implemented in several regions of the Province.