K34 million for STEM in 2025 Budget

Thursday, 5 December 2024, 6:30 pm

PM James Marape before departing for the PNG Investment Conference in Sydney, Australia this afternoon (Image: PM's Media)

The National Government, through its 2025 National Budget, has further invested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics through a funding allocation of 34 million kina.

Prime Minister James Marape says 20-million kina is to develop the six national schools of excellence across the country while an additional 10 million kina is allocated for STEM curriculum development and teacher capacity building.

Mr. Marape added that a further 4-million kina will be for operational support.

The PM says investing in STEM education emphasizes the government’s commitment to nurturing a technologically proficient workforce.

He highlighted that a key component of this initiative is the “expansion of the overseas scholarship programmes in the 2025 budget, enabling PNG’s top STEM students to pursue higher education in leading international institutions.”

There are about 119 PNG STEM students in the United States, 54 in China, 30 in India, and 5 in Fiji.