The Grade 12 exam results and online selections are timely interventions in the education system. The online results and selections are the functions of two different education bodies. Namely the National Education Department (NDoE) and the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST).
In this article, we highlight two pressing development dilemmas in education: the increasing number of secondary schools and Grade 12 students in the last 5 years. Do we also ask whether the growth in the number of schools and students is sustainable?
Highlights of Grade 12 Exam Results and Selections
Firstly, it would be beneficial to know some background information about Grade 12 online selections and online results.
- Grade 12 Exam results website: mypngexamsresults.com
- Grade 12 Online Selection Website: apply.dherst.gov.pg
- 20 schools producing Grade 12 for the first time in the last 2 years
- 82 new Secondary Schools status achieved between 2015 and 2019
- 5,800 additional Grade 12 students passed out since 2015
The Grade 12 exam result online is produced and made available to the students by the Measurement Services Division (MSD) of NDoE.
Whereas, DHERST facilitates the Grade 12 online selection system – also called the National Online Selection System or NOSS.
Read this article (Grade 12 Online Results vs Grade 12 Online Selection – differentiated) for more information regarding the functions of the two departments.
Read Also: How To Check MyPNG Exam Results Online 2024-2025
Grade 12 Exam Results Online
The Grade 12 exam results online started in 2018. This year marks the second year since the results of Grade 12 students in the country became available on the Internet. It was the initiative of the Measurement Services Division (MSD) of the National Education Department.
Parents and students can access the Grade 12 online results through this URL: mypngexamsresults.com. This year the online platform includes the results for the FODE, Grade 8, Grade 10 and Grade 12. This is a massive improvement.
Past students and parents will remember the time when everyone scrambled around the page of a Newspaper just to see their names. This is long gone.
The student’s login particular includes:
- First Name
- Surname
- School Leaver Form (SLF) number
Upon successful login, a student can change the password to a more secure login password. It is perhaps important to personalize the password. In other words, choose a password that you can remember easily.
Grade 12 Online Selection System
Parents and students can access the Grade 12 online selection through this URL: apply.dherst.gov.pg. The data and information in the National Online Selection System (NOSS) were built from the Online School Leavers Forms.
In brief, DHERST facilitates the grade 12 online selections around the data supplied to the department from
1) the schools (though online SLF submissions) and
2) Exam results provided by the MSD/NDoE
The bulk of the work is spearheaded by MSD. This means that the raw data passes through the NDoE to DHERST for Grade 12 selection to tertiary institutions in the country.
20 New Schools with Grade 12 in 2019
The number of secondary schools in the country stands at 185 in 2019 from 166 schools in 2018. The number of Grade 12 producing schools increased by nearly 20 between 2018 and 2019. The 20 schools are either new schools with pioneer Grade 12 students or schools that have discontinued grade 11 classes in previous years.
For clarity, the pioneer Grade 12 refers to the schools graduating the first Grade 12 in 2019. Whereas, some established schools discontinued Grade 11 intake for one reason or another such as Aiyura National High School and schools in Hela province.
Notably, four (4) schools in Eastern Highland Province (EHP) have added to the number of 2019 Grade 12 students selected to tertiary institutions 2019.
Here is a list of 20 schools graduating either pioneer or new Grade 12 students. The list is arranged by province.
Read Also: PNG Police Recruitment 2024-2025 | Application Form & Requirements
Grade 12 Five Year Stat 2015 – 2019
In 2018, the number of Grade 12 students who accessed their online results was 28,582. In 2019, the total number of Grade 12 students in the country increased to 29,000.
Below is a pictorial representation of the increase in the number of schools (Figure 1) and the number of students (Figure 2) in PNG. (Note: the data is based on years of writer’s work and recent data available online).
Number of Secondary Schools in PNG
Within the last 5 years to 2019, the number of secondary schools had increased by 79.61%! That means that of the 185 school secondary schools at present, 82 of them have been doing the Grade 11 selection since 2015.
Number of Grade 12 Students in PNG
Within the last 5 years to 2019, the number of Grade 12 students either taking the national examinations (or going through DHERST online selection) had increased by 25%!
This implies that there was an increase of 5,800 secondary school spaces between 2015 and 2019.
Discussion on Grade 12 exam results
The exponential increase in the overall number of secondary schools and the number of Grade 12 students presents to all a question of sustainability.
How can the secondary school system be sustained to facilitate an education that is fit for the young people in Papua New Guinea?
The question is not an easy one to answer. It requires a holistic understanding of the burden placed on an aging education system.
In hindsight, the National Department of Education and Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology have challenges dealing with the increasing number of students. The challenges vary in areas of operations and management, structural and reforms, and policy and planning.
The simple data presented in Figure 1 and Figure 2 indicated that many young people entered Grade 12. They have a Higher Secondary Education. It shows that in the last 5 years, there is a significant improvement in schooling places available to young people.
What is required (now more than ever) are vision, mission and hard work from all the education planners, education leaders, educationists and public servants.
Education is power. Every individual should be empowered to live a happy and meaningful life, whether they are truck drivers or pilots, cleaners or CEOs. etc.
Key point
If we look closely at Figure 2, we would realize that there is a whopping increase of 3000 students between 2017 and 2018. It begs the question of what happened there?!
Ominously, there was an increase of only 6 secondary schools between 2017 and 2018. Unlike the increase in 2018 and 2019 of nearly 20 secondary schools.
It seems secondary schools are mushrooming in the country. And, the principals had squeezed more students in 2017 into classrooms.
In particular, the later two years (2018 and 2019) showed that the principals have realized the strain the high number of Grade 11 students put on the schools. And, normalize (to some extent) the number of Grade 11 selected to their schools.
It would be interesting to compare these numbers at the end of 2020.
Finally, the online results and selections are the timely interventions the education departments (NDoE and DHERST) introduced in 2018 and 2017, respectively.
Grade 12 exam results
Online interventions are practical and sustainable measures to cater for a growing school population in the country.
The two departments need all the help they can get from the education planners and political leaders in the country now and into the future.
Note: If you have questions or corrections regarding this post, kindly use the comment box below.