This Papua New Guinea National Research Institute (PNGNRI) Public Policy Blog discusses the need to support girls’ rights to education in PNG. Education plays a significant role in nation building and it has the potential to lift people out of poverty especially in developing countries.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) Constitution supports gender equality in education. It also supports the opportunities for all Papua New Guineans to achieve their full potential but these privileges irrespective of gender has been compromised. Gender inequality in education places a major challenge for and limit to girl’s rights to education. Since the Tuition Fee Free (TFF) education policy was introduced in 2012, the enrolment of girls in primary schools has improved. However, social and cultural barriers remain problematic in PNG.