The centrepiece of government policy in Papua New Guinea over recent years has arguably been the Tuition Fee Free (TFF) policy implemented in 2012. The TFF effectively eliminated school fees for elementary, primary and secondary students and provided schools with direct funding at a level which on average over-compensated for their loss of school fees. While the TFF has improved access to education and school resources, little is known about its effect on education outcomes as measured by exam results, particularly across gender, location and student age dimensions.

In this public seminar, Dr Anthony Swan – Research Fellow at the Development Policy Centre – presented findings based on multilevel modelling of grade eight student level exam results across PNG. The presentation highlighted positive impacts but also the unintentional and negative consequences of the TFF on student learning outcomes.

This public seminar was presented by the Development Policy Centre at Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.