{
  "id": 15526761,
  "title": "Aussie approach touted to fix PNG teacher crisis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/aussie-approach-touted-to-fix-png-teacher-crisis",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-18T20:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Discovered",
    "slug": "discovered",
    "url": "https://nvi.com.au/story/9370687/aussie-approach-touted-to-fix-png-teacher-crisis"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Papua New Guinea should adopt Australia's strategy to address its impending teacher shortage, according to a Lowy Institute report. By 2033, PNG will need up to 124,000 teachers to accommodate a growing student population, but current training institutions can only certify 2,200 annually. The report's author, Serena Sasingian, noted that PNG has invested over $1.5 billion in education in its latest budget but has failed to tackle the workforce issue. Despite this significant investment, learning outcomes remain subpar, the report stated. PNG's problem is structural: it must transition from merely increasing access to delivering quality education, which demands more qualified teachers. The Pacific nation, with an estimated population of 11.8 million, should devise a 10-year plan to expand the teacher workforce, Ms. Sasingian recommended. Teaching must become an attractive profession that draws high-achieving students, offering competitive incentives, status, and career progression, the report said. Australia, despite its highly skilled economy and advanced education system, treats teacher shortages as a national workforce problem, requiring direct financial intervention, the report added. The imminent retirement of 20,000 teachers further compounds the shortage, making it unlikely that the workforce will grow. To meet this challenge, PNG must triple the number of new teachers being accredited to keep pace with student numbers, Ms. Sasingian said. This requires PNG to rebuild teaching as a valued profession capable of attracting, developing, and retaining high-performing graduates.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}