University students in Papua New Guinea are a very privileged minority. This is now more than an oft-repeated cliché as the gap, between our children who can make it to a university and those who cannotafter Grade 12, widens each year.

Compounding the problem is the lack of expansion of existing six universities besides the opening Western Pacific University in Ialibu, Southern Highlands Province as the nation’s seventh university earlier this year.

With our national population growth rate being one of the highest in the Asia-Pacific region and moresecondary schools being opened in the provinces, provincial governments and other stakeholders oughtto consider opening universities and colleges or campuses of existing universities where suitable.

Last year (2020) only 9,371 out of the 27,143 Grade 12 students who applied for placings in higher learning institutions were accepted. The majority, that is 17,772 Grade 12 leavers of 2020, did not make it to a university or college. The 27,143 Grade 12 leavers who applied are from a total of 30,000 students in Year 12 last year. Each year, the number of Grade 12 graduates has been increasing and will continue to do so with the increase in school-age population and the resultant expansion of secondary schools, high schools and primary schools. In other words, our nation is in catch 22 situation. As our population increases services such as education for children has to increase correspondingly.

Given the significant lack of space we now have in our universities for enrolment, it is worth repeating the privileged position of every university student who is enrolled. We must continue to remind our university students so they know who they are and appreciate their privileged roles and responsibilities towards the future of our young country, Papua New Guinea.

Our students cannot carry themselves with a mindset that they are enrolled in a university as a result of their own intellectual abilities and contributions from immediate family members and relatives who pay for their fees and general upkeep. They must put aside the mentality that because of their own intellectual prowess and contributions from family members they are enrolled in our universities and priority goes toone-self and family members. There are equally capable Grade 12 Leavers who could not make it to a university due to lack of spaces so other determinants like grade point average (GPA) variations determines who gets and who does not.

The personal and family contribution towards a young Papua New Guinean enrolling in any of our seven universities is important and must be acknowledged and rewarded once someone graduates and becomes a professional or an economically viable member of the PNG society. But this is only one part of the story.

There are other aspects of the formation of a young university student who eventually becomes a graduate ready to make a contribution to the development the country.

The citizens of PNG, acting through the State enable the entire education system from early childhood to university to exist so our young people can benefit from and contribute to the country. The State has a system in place to ensure educational opportunities are there for our children and youths at different levels of education.

The State facilitates for the education system and enablers like roads, power supply and other utilities to exist and function so the future of our young generation is catered for and secured. It is part of the continuum of life.

Parents as leaders in government, private sector, in communities and in family settings try their best to ensure the children and youth under their care go through the formal education process. This may not work perfectly given that humans are fallible creatures but the process is there. People (parents, members of a community and the children and youth) must be willing to embrace modern education at the different levels and take part in it.

The rest of the PNG population thus look up to university students to show leadership and sincerity in their education and daily undertakings as students. Four or five years is not a long time for a university student to go through the process of higher education and come with a qualification and make a difference. This is what the public looks out for to see that the future of our country is going to be in capable hands.

University students ought to demonstrate to parents, guardians, relatives, corporate sponsors and other well-meaning citizens that we can count on them to take our country to the next level far better than those who have been managing it thus far.

Our university students must show to all of us that we can rely on them to change things around in our country for the better. If the present and past crop of decision-makers, bureaucrats and business leaders have not done enough to steer our country in the right direction, it is the university students who should show that they can be different; they can be better.

This cannot happen when some of our university campuses are being associated with alcohol and substance abuse, violence, gender-based violence, harassment of female students, abortion and the like.

These wayward activities that are being associated with some students from our university campuses are not the kind of public relations and public rapport that we expect at in our intellectual communities.