Job scarcity has seen over 700 degree holders from other universities applying to the University of Goroka to become Papua New Guinea teachers so that they can have a permanent job, Vice Chancellor Dr Teng Waninga said.
“Selection of 700 postgraduate students to become qualified teachers is sign of high unemployment rate in the country that UOG is now solving,” he said.
“We received over a thousand, our students (not teacher graduates) also applied, other graduates from other universities also applied but we’ve got specific criteria.
“People come in to do postgraduates shows that not all people who are graduating are being employed in the country.
“That’s why they want to become teachers because our employability is 96-97 percent.
“All our students who graduated are taken into the system so that’s one good thing about our graduates.
“We are now helping other university graduates with teaching skills so that they become teachers.
“Every year we receive a thousand plus applications for postgraduate program alone.
“I think University of Goroka is providing solution to a lot of unemployed graduates from other universities.
“This year we’ve got over 700 postgraduate students.
“Those are graduates from other universities so now we are trying to make them teach in the schools, so we are doing that.
“We are trying to provide employment for the graduates.” The University of Goroka has a student population of roughly 6000 students who study under different programs each year.
