With the commitment to provide quality and accessible education to ensure that all children go to school and no child is left behind, no school fees or project fees are to be charged in the national education system in 2024.  Under the Government Tuition Fee Subsidy (GTFS) Policy in 2024, the Marape/Rosso Government has allocated K850.935 million to pay for School Fees and Project Fees. This is from Education Secretary Dr. Uke Kombra who said, NO school administration or governing board is to refuse any child from enrolling in school or attend classes for non-payment of any form of fees. “Parents and stakeholders are also encouraged to cooperate and support in ways other than tuition fees to ensure that school remain operational throughout the year in 2024.” Any school found to be denying students their right to education upon enrolment will be dealt with including suspension of heads of schools from duties without pay. Heads of schools will be held accountable. “The full support of Provincial inspectors, Provincial Education Advisors and the Provincial Education Boards is required to ensure that the Government’s Tuition Fee Subsidy Policy is implemented successfully.” He further stated that, the public can report on a school that does not comply with directions to the local school inspector, Provincial Education Division, or the Education Department.

As of midnight, PNG Air scheduled flights are subject to late boarding and slight delays due to the implementation of the restrictions by the jet aviation fuel supplier across the country. The disruption of flights will be ongoing until the supply restrictions on jet aviation fuel are uplifted. At this juncture, upon evaluation of available fuel reserves, PNG Air will still maintain its current flight schedule and will update this in due course if deemed necessary. The PNG Air Call Centre team will make its best efforts to be in contact with customers who have purchased tickets for onward travel who could be affected by these delays. The Airlines Company sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciates your understanding during this time as the situation is outside of the airline's control. For more information, please contact our Call Centre on 16111 (Digicel toll free) or 7411 2644 (BeMobile and Telikom).

Prime Minister and Treasurer James Marape emphasised the importance of preventing the national fuel security issue involving Puma Energy from escalating into a national security concern. The Prime Minister expressed these sentiments during a crucial meeting held on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, with Bank South Pacific (BSP) Chief Executive Officer Mark Robinson. BSP has issued a notice to Puma Energy, directing the closure of its accounts by March 8, 2024. “The Puma Energy issue should not be allowed to become a national security issue,” stated Prime Minister Marape. “We have seen what happened on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, and we do not want a repetition.” Prime Minister Marape disclosed that the Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG) is actively investigating the Puma Energy issue and collaborating with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the most favourable resolution. During the meeting with Mr. Robinson, PM Marape underscored his primary concern for the country's economy. He conveyed that the government is exploring alternative fuel suppliers and implementing strategies to strengthen foreign exchange reserves in light of the challenges posed by the Puma Energy issue. “Last year, we produced over K60 billion worth of exports, but we were only able to bring back K18 billion into the country,” MP Marape said. “If I can bring back at least half of export revenue into the country – and keep it at the Central Bank, BSP, or Kina Bank – that will help to beef up our foreign exchange.” The Government remains committed to addressing the national fuel security issue promptly and ensuring the stability of the country's economic landscape.

The State of Emergency (SOE) in the Nation’s Capital will come to an end by 11:59pm tonight after the SOE Controller Acting Police Commissioner Donald Yamasombi & Acting PNGDF Chief Commodore Philip Polewara declared the end of the 14-day SOE in NCD. He said, the objective of the SOE is to bring back normalcy and confidence to the people and the business community in NCD from the events that occurred on Wednesday 10th January. “I am glad that we have archived the objective of the SOE." "Life is now back to normal.” He said, security forces, Police and PNGDF will maintain some visibility for confidence in the city as students return to school. “The presence of our security personnel will still continue to give that comfort to everyone in our city.” “As we enter into the 2024 academic year." "Students are coming in from around the country and we would like to give them that confidence and comfort as they settle into the various institutions they’ll be attending.” Yamasombi also stated that, investigations into Black Wednesday are ongoing. “From the events that transpired, we have investigations on foot." "Various actions have been taken and those investigations will still continue.” He said, going into the future, they don’t want to see this events being repeated. And through this SOE, further recommendations will be made to prevent such events from happening in the future. Meanwhile, Acting PNGDF Chief Commodore Philip Polewara said, they will continue to support the Police and they will not allow such events to happen again. “This is the heart beat of our country." "We destroyed it and we will rebuild it." "We have come to realize that economy and security co-exist.” He is also thanking those who have stepped out during the civil unrest and helped the security forces maintain normalcy and peace within NCD. Yamasombi further stated that, the call center is still operational and the number is 1800 500.

Ok Tedi Mining Limited recorded the highest monthly revenue for the month of December in 2023 with a generated record of K684 million (USD$184 million). This result comes off the back of increased production and favourable metals prices, which were above budget for the month. Other factors contributing to the record revenue include strategic business improvements, operational efficiency, cost management, and uninterrupted copper shipments to buyers. OTML produced Copper Concentrate of 45Kdmt to push up sales in December generating USD$107 million (K398 million). Additionally gold generated USD$75 million (K278 million) and Silver generated USD$2.4 million (K8.9 million). OTML Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kedi Ilimbit, said they saw productivity improvements throughout the entire production chain from mine to mill and port. “In addition, improved uptime and reliability on our crushing and processing plants compounded with exceptional operational efficiencies in the mine saw more quality ore being processed during the month.” “Support functions in the business including supply, logistics and power systems all worked in sync with the production team to deliver this exceptional performance.” “Effective cost controls were put in place by the Dry Weather Incident Management Team (IMT) including fuel conservation, contractor management, and rationalization of critical supplies.” Mr Ilimbit emphasized that this result underscores the success of the 'restore, reset, and reinvigorate' strategy implemented in 2023 to overhaul the business. “We are continuously looking at transformational strategies to improve overall production efficiency whilst being cost effective.” “With these foundations, OTML will continue to generate revenue, remain profitable, and deliver to its shareholders and the rest of Papua New Guinea.” Additionally, OTML continues to meet its environmental, legal, and social obligations. “Maintaining a positive relationship with the mine impacted communities who give OTML the social license to operate, provides the company with the stability necessary to prioritise production and deliver benefits to its shareholders.” OTML recently declared a final dividend of K350 million to its shareholders, bringing the total dividend for the year 2023 to K450 million. This builds on the initial interim dividend payment of K100 million made earlier in the year. With the Board's approval for the Mine Life Extension up to 2050, OTML envisions sustainable growth well into the future. The company is actively pursuing strategic growth projects, aligned with the current Strategic Business Plan, which are progressing successfully and anticipated to generate an impressive K30 billion (US$8 billion) in social benefits which include taxes, royalties, and dividend payments, over the next 27 years.

As the 2024 academic year commences, Vunakanau Primary School in East New Britain Province witnessed the resumption of all its teachers take up their teaching posts as of Monday 22nd January 2024 as instructed from the education higher ups. Vunakanau Primary Head Teacher Mr. Steven Taharin said, though the weather in the province is quite rainy and windy, all 24 teachers managed to come in on Monday. “We opened the school at 9am and saw a total of only 22 teachers but by 12pm, the last 2 teachers came in and now we have a full house. All are present.” Mr. Taharin said, as of this morning, they distributed the class allocations and are preparing their class lessons for next week Monday. He further stated that, they have not received any funds yet but once they receive the first Government Tuition Fee Subsidy (GTFS), they will focus on buying school supplies and renovating some facilities within the school.

Match officials for the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup who are based in the Nation’s Capital have returned to training last week in preparations for the 2024 season. The program is overseen by former NRL Referee Tony Archer, PNG National Rugby League Competition (PNG NRLC) Referee Manager Gabriel Peter and newly appointed Strength and Conditioner Simon Gabisini. Archer indicated that “the program has been designed to educate and develop the referees’ fitness levels, technical skills, game understanding and decision making in readiness for the season to start in April.” “This program will be extended to include the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup match officials based outside of Port Moresby in February, ensuring that the standards and development opportunities are given to all officials,” Archer said. The training is part of the NRLC Strategic Plan under the Coaching and Officiating pillar to upskill the level of refereeing in the Digicel ExxonMobil Cup. Currently the referees are training 4 days per week until the season starts.

The Minister for International Trade and Investment and Yangoru-Saussia MP Richard Maru recently announced that the construction of multi-million-kina Bararat Bridge in the Sausso LLG of Yangoru-Saussia District in the East Sepik Province will commence on Monday, January 22, 2024. This follows a successful peace ceremony that was hosted in the Bararat village where the two warring factions came together and exchanged cash, pigs, and rings (shell money) as compensation for the murder of two lives over sorcery claims. It took over 8 months for the peace negotiation to finally reach the stage where peace and normalcy had returned to the village. “Bararat Village is the host of this 40-metre bridge that will connect Wewak and the rest of the Yangoru-Saussia District to the 14 villages that the bridge will serve.” These people have always found it very difficult to cross over to Wewak and back during the rainy season when the river swells from the floods. They have been crying for a bridge since prior to independence and finally the Marape-Rosso Government through its District Infrastructure funding will deliver the bridge this year. “This bridge will not only serve Yangoru-Saussia District but also Angoram District especially the Middle Sepik area including the new Middle Sepik High School at Timboli village along the banks of the Sepik River, said Maru.” “This is a long awaited and much needed project and a wonderful new year present for my people.” “I am looking forward to meeting not only the people from Bararat village but all people from the 14 villages that the bridge will serve.” Minister Maru further made a statement by calling on the people of Bararat and all the nearby communities to support the contractor and all the local workers who will be engaged to ensure that the bridge is completed as soon as possible.

More than 13, 000 primary and secondary schools nationwide will soon receive Term 1 of the Government Tuition Fee Subsidy (GTFS) payment after Prime Minister James Marape presented a dummy cheque of K213.4 million to the Education Department. The Minister for Education, Jimmy Uguro, has thanked the Marape/Rosso Government for releasing very early the amount of K213.4 million on Tuesday 9th January to cover Term 1 of this year. “On behalf of 1.4 million students taught by 62,822 teachers in more than 13,000 schools nationwide, I thank the Prime Minister for prioritizing education by ensuring that the funds for Term 1 are released early to the Department,” said Mr Uguro. He is calling on the school administrations to use the funds wisely to prepare for the beginning of Term one. “I also call on the school administrations to acquit these monies and provide quarterly reports to the Department, through the Provincial Education Offices in order to receive tuition fee payments.” “Parents and the community have a right to ask School Boards to account and acquit these public funds every time and anytime.” Meanwhile, the Minister for Education has called on all the teachers nationwide to remain calm and neutral and let those managing the Alesco system to fix the tax cut issue and pay their dues next payday. “Our neutrality is very important to show our commitment to the education of our country’s future.”

With the rise of tuberculosis cases in NCD, people are encouraged to get themselves tested for TB as the services have come closer to their communities through the Emergency TB Systematic Screening Intervention that’s currently underway at Koki Wanigela. This program comes under the National Department of Health’s (NDoH) Systematic Screening Intervention (SSI) program implemented through the Emergency Tuberculosis Project (ETP) with the support of the National Capital District Provincial Health Authority (NCDPHA). NDoH TB Program Manager Dr. Margaret Kal said, so far in the Moresby South Communities, they have screened 4 out 12 sites and only half of the population came forward. She said, in the past, patients had to wait a week or so to get their results, but with the new X-ray machine on site, patients will only wait for 2 hours after collection of sputum and their test results will be available. “You don’t need to go to the hospital. You come here. We screen you and doctors will do your X-Ray on the spot and tell you if you have TB or not depending on the X-Ray. And after only 2 hours after collecting your sputum, we will be able to give your results.” Dr. Kal also stated that, if they know that they have TB, the patient will start treatment right away. “We are doing everything that we can do so that you can get better if you have TB. What we need from you is to come forward because the services are here are accessible.” She added the other half of the population needs to come forward to get tested. “If you are a member of the community here, know that the services here are to help you and not to find out you have TB and stigmatize you. We are here to help you. ” She is calling on all families and communities within Moresby South to come forward and get themselves tested. She said people need to understand that TB is not a personal sickness. TB is referred to as a market because anyone can catch the disease when infected people cough, sneeze, or spit. “If you got TB, then know that you got it from someone else. You can get it on the bus, shops, in the house or anywhere in Port Moresby because NCD has the highest TB burden in the country.” She further stated that, based on the screening so far, they have screened five to six thousand of the population and out of that, there’s almost two thousand TB cases. “So, if we extrapolate that to the district population of Moresby South alone, we think that there could be almost 30-40 thousand people living with TB in Moresby South alone and that is happening every year.” “But we are not able to see it because people are no coming forward to access the free services.” She is now calling on families and the communities to support anyone who is diagnosed with TB to come forward and seek treatment.

More than 16 North American teams have entered the NRL's Vegas 9s as officials consider expanding the tournament in future years following interest from grassroots clubs in Australia, England and South Africa. The Vegas 9s will be played on February 29 and March 1 ahead of the NRL’s historic season opening double header at Allegiant Stadium on March 2 in which the Sea Eagles will play the Rabbitohs and the Roosters take on the Broncos. Like the NFL-style Combine that the NRL is conducting on the day of the double-header for North American male and female athletes, the Vegas 9s will feature men’s and women’s tournaments. USARL champions Santa Rosa Dead Pelicans, who beat Jacksonville Axeman in the 2023 national final, are among the teams from across North America to have officially entered the tournament. Others US teams include the Brooklyn Kings, Boston 13s, LA Mongrel, San Diego Barracudas and the Afro-centric Roots Rugby Family, with the latter three having also entered women’s teams. Utah Rugby League has confirmed that the Provo Broncos, Glendale Storm, Herriman Roosters and Riverton Seagulls would also travel to Las Vegas for the tournament. The vision that we see for this in coming years is that teams from Australia and England or other parts of the world could enter. Brad Donald GM of Player Pathways Canada’s BC Bulldogs and Storm, Ontario Ospreys and Toronto Saints have entered men’s or women’s teams, or both. Canada Ravens coach Mike Castle, who along with Jillaroos coach Brad Donald is helping to organise the Vegas 9s and Combine in their roles with the NRL, said the events were attracting new players from other sports to the game in North America. “The 9s will be an opportunity for more people to give rugby league a go,” said Castle, who is NRL pathways project manager. “It is a two-day tournament, so it is easy to fit in if you are playing other sports and want to try rugby league. “I know a couple of the Canadian teams have been able to engage new players because it is an opportunity to go to Vegas and try the game.” USA women’s coach Ady Cooney is also helping to organise and promote the Vegas 9s and Combine, which he believes can have a major impact on the growth of the game in the United States. “It’s about getting people access to the game that have never had it before, and I think the big ticket is being able to go and watch the NRL games after that,” Cooney said. “Seeing the standard in the flesh is always different to watching it on TV and I think if people play in the Vegas 9s and then to go to the NRL games they will get excited about rugby league and want to play. “I think the NRL has a five-year plan to keep coming back to the United States so hopefully this grows every year, and we can build on that.” While the interest in North America has been strong for this year’s Vegas 9s, Donald said he had also fielded inquiries from grassroots teams in Australia, England and South Africa wanting to take part. In future years, the tournament could be expanded to become a World 9s tournament for grassroots clubs from around the globe. “There is $40,000 prize money on offer and the vision that we see for this in coming years is that teams from Australia and England or other parts of the world could enter,” said Donald, GM of player pathways for the NRL. “Imagine a club like [2023 Illawarra premiers] the Thirroul Butchers, instead of spending money on end-of-season trip away, they come to Vegas in their pre-season and play. “Our aim is to bring all of the rugby league community together while growing the game in North America.” The NRL will also hold an NFL-style Combine in Las Vegas on March 2, with 25 male and 25 female athletes from North America to take part in a series of physical testing and skills assessment. After the Combine, two male and two female athletes with the potential to play in the NRL or NRLW will be offered the opportunity to train with an elite team in Australia and showcase their talents to clubs. Source:NLR.com  

As of the 31 December 2023, over 35,000 students have benefitted from the Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP), with a total expenditure exceeding K177 million since 2020. Prime Minister James Marape commended the success of HELP, a flagship initiative introduced by his government in 2020, during an update received from Higher Education Research Science and Technology (DHERST) Minister Hon. Don Polye and Secretary Fr. Jan Czuba on Thursday, January 4, 2024. The detailed report presented on Thursday revealed that a cumulative amount of K177,371,936 in student HELP loans has been disbursed from 2020 to 2023. Out of this total, 35,615 approved student loans were disbursed by December 31, 2023. The annual breakdown is as follows: • 2020: K28,588,354 (5,204 students benefitting) • 2021: K27,688,365 (6,743 students benefitting) • 2022: K47,093,604 (9,840 students benefitting) • 2023: K74,001,613 (13,828 students benefitting) Additionally: • A total of 17,440 undergraduate students at universities have benefited from HELP from 2020-2023. • •A total of 405 post-graduate students at universities have benefitted from HELP from 2021-2023. • A total of 6,477 students at teachers’ and nursing colleges have benefitted from HELP from 2020-2023. • A total of 11, 293 students at business colleges, technical colleges, and private providers have benefited from HELP from 2020-2023. PM Marape praised Minister Polye and Secretary Czuba for the impressive performance of the HELP programme, emphasising its success since its inception in 2020 and the increasing number of students benefiting each year. “The HELP remains a successful programme, and with a total of 13,828 students benefitting in 2023, we anticipate continued growth with the increased new intakes for 2024.” He reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring quality education is accessible to all students in an affordable manner, stating, “This Government is fully committed to ensuring quality education is accessed by all students in an affordable manner.” PM Marape also highlighted that in 2022 the programme had generated its first repayment when the first beneficiaries began repaying the loan. He emphasized that beneficiaries would not be pressured to repay the loan hastily and can opt for a lifelong repayment plan. “The loan repayments will be saved in what is called the Higher Education Endowment Fund, which will generate returns and, in turn, self-sustain the programme in the long run.” The Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) was initiated by the Marape Government in 2019 and officially launched in 2020. This loan scheme aims to assist students facing financial constraints in paying their tertiary institution fees with zero-based interest while offering flexible loan repayments commencing on productive employment. The program is administered and overseen by DHERST. It aligns with the government's commitment to the policy mantra of 'leaving no child behind,' ensuring that every child in PNG has equal access to educational opportunities. The objective is to eliminate school fees as a barrier to education, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and providing all children with the chance to pursue their academic goals.