Why More PNG STEM Students Should Be Sent to China

-

Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited (KPHL) has done the right thing by backing the Department of Education’s focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The long-term growth of PNG depends on developing a skilled workforce capable of driving industrialization, managing energy security, and building critical infrastructure. My research on PNG students studying in China shows that this approach is not only correct but should be intensified.

From a LinkedIn-based database of 329 PNG students and alumni across Chinese universities, the majority are concentrated in STEM disciplines. Fields such as Petroleum Engineering, Civil and Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Chemistry, and Environmental Engineering have attracted the highest numbers. By contrast, fields in the humanities and social sciences are much less represented. This distribution demonstrates both the scholarship priorities of China and the development needs of PNG.

Figure 1: Top 15 fields of study chosen by PNG students in Chinese universities (based on LinkedIn database).

Chinese universities excel in applied sciences and engineering, often combining classroom theory with industrial practice. Unlike more theory-driven models, China’s higher education system is designed to connect students directly to national infrastructure and technology projects. For PNG students, this creates a training environment that is practical, industry-focused, and directly relevant to the country’s development trajectory.

A clear example is the practical training carried out by PNG students from China Three Gorges University at the Edevu Hydropower Station outside Port Moresby. These students were not just learning in lecture halls in China; they returned with skills they could immediately apply to a major renewable energy project. Their contribution highlights how STEM training in China is already feeding back into PNG’s energy and infrastructure sectors.

As the custodian of PNG’s national oil and gas wealth, KPHL understands the link between human capital and resource management. By supporting more scholarships and partnerships for STEM training, especially in China, KPHL is helping build the next generation of engineers, technologists, and energy experts. This is not just corporate social responsibility; it is a strategic investment in PNG’s long-term sovereignty over its resources and infrastructure.

The National Department of Education must now prioritize sending more STEM students to China. While PNG has traditionally sent students across diverse fields, the pressing needs of the country lie in energy, mining technology, telecommunications, construction, and environmental engineering. China’s universities are uniquely placed to deliver practical training in these areas, as the Edevu case demonstrates.

Figure 2: Distribution of PNG students in China grouped into STEM and Non-STEM categories.

KPHL has shown foresight in aligning with the national STEM agenda. The data confirms that PNG’s engagement with Chinese higher education is already heavily STEM-influenced, even though non-STEM numbers remain significant. The practical application of this training—seen in projects like Edevu—proves that this pathway is not just theoretical but directly tied to PNG’s development. The Department of Education should now scale up its efforts, sending more STEM students to China to secure the skills base the country needs for the future.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Commercial liberalism and the six norms

-
Image
Liberal internationalism is defined by Griffiths, O'Callaghan and Roach (2008, p.190) as a project to transform international relations so that they conform to models of peace, freedom, and prosperity allegedly enjoyed within constitutional liberal democracies. The same scholars go further by dividing liberalism into three distinct groups. They say these are the three ways to implement the project. The way they present liberal internationalism as a project makes their work interesting. Three distinct groups Firstly, commercial liberalism is about free trade between states. States bilaterally or multilaterally via a platform like APEC pursue the goal of trade liberalization. Griffiths, O'Callagahan and Roach (ibid.) argued that economic interdependence would decrease the likelihood of going to war. Republican liberalism is about democratic peace. The scholars argued that the spread of democracy among states so that governments will be accountable to their citizens makes it di...
Read more

FPA: Organizational Process Model

-
This model centers on the fact that different bureaucracies have different standard operating procedures. These procedures are made in order to allow day to day operations to be carried out. Thus, a foreign policy decision is made based on these standard operating procedures. It is hard for a bureaucracy to make a decision or let alone function out of character or contrary to their standard operating procedure. The reading Chapter 4: Foreign policy shares a straight forward explanation of the OPM: "An alternative to the rational model of decision making is the organizational process model. In this model, foreign policy decision makers generally skip the labor-intensive process of identifying goals and alternative actions, relying instead for most decisions on standardized responses or standard operating procedures. For example, the U.S. State Department everyday receives more than a thousand reports or inquiries from its embassies around the world and sends out more than a ...
Read more

Allison's rational actor model

-
There are 3 common models of foreign policy decision making according to Graham Allison: rational actor model organizational process mode government politics model.  We will discuss the 3 models and compare them with the 3 levels of analysis. However, I challenge you to use your own initiative to learn about the other models of decision making. This will help you as future decision makers or analysts to understand how decisions are made and the processes. When one wakes up from bed he or she decides whether or not to brush their teeth, comb their hair and have a shower. These decisions are paramount, they affect and influence how the individual interacts in a social setting. This highlights the fact that as human beings we make decisions every day. Decision making is defined as the thought process of selecting a logical choice from the available options. In the case of the ‘Kibung peles boy’ analogy; the male student had a choice of approaching the girl to ask he...
Read more