Support Marape’s Call: Make Education a Pillar of PNG–China Relations

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By Bernard Yegiora

I support Prime Minister James Marape’s call for Papua New Guineans to learn Mandarin. PNG should take the next step by asking China to help establish more schools modelled on Butuka Academy, expand Mandarin teaching, strengthen universities and technical colleges, and develop the academics and researchers our institutions need.

Educational cooperation should accompany commercial engagement. As Chinese businesses expand their presence in PNG, more Papua New Guineans should have opportunities to acquire the language skills needed to engage with them, study in China and establish commercial relationships of their own.

Give Marape’s proposal practical support

In its statement of 5 November 2026, the Prime Minister’s Department reported that Marape requested Chinese assistance to introduce optional Mandarin, particularly for Grades 7–12. He raised the proposal during his meeting with Chen Xiaodong, chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency.

PM Marape calls for optional Mandarin education in PNG schools, particularly Grades 7–12. Screenshot: PM & NEC statement, 5 November 2026.

The statement records Chinese support for further discussions. It does not set out a national implementation timetable. Education authorities, provincial governments, universities and business organisations should now help turn the proposal into a workable program.

More schools modelled on Butuka Academy

Butuka Academy provides a starting point for wider cooperation. The National reported in 2023 that the school was teaching Mandarin, with Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko linking language learning to stronger relations and future opportunities.

In “How China is engaging PNG’s next generation”, I discussed how language teaching and cultural activities connect young Papua New Guineans with China.

PNG should ask China to support similar educational partnerships in other provincial centres. More schools modelled on Butuka Academy could combine quality general education with optional Mandarin, cultural learning and exchanges.

New buildings should come with commitments to teachers, materials, maintenance and school management. Strengthening existing schools could also extend these opportunities. The ambition should be national access, implemented in stages according to provincial needs and readiness.

Expand Confucius Institutes and language centres

Universities and colleges could provide another foundation for expansion. China’s Foreign Ministry has reported on the involvement of the Confucius Institute at PNG University of Technology in Chinese-language activities at Butuka Academy.

PNG should seek additional Confucius Institutes where institutional capacity permits, alongside affiliated teaching centres in other provinces. Full institutes, school partnerships and smaller centres can serve different needs.

Classes should accommodate students, teachers, public servants and entrepreneurs. Evening and weekend programs would allow working adults to participate.

Training Papua New Guinean Mandarin teachers must be central to this cooperation. Chinese teachers can help establish programs while local educators develop the qualifications to sustain them. PNG institutions should oversee academic standards and ensure courses serve local educational priorities.

Build universities and transfer skills

China’s support for higher education offers a foundation for deeper cooperation. The National reported in January 2023 that Chinese funding supported staff housing and student accommodation at Western Pacific University, with an e-library and lecture facilities also under construction at the time.

At the University of Goroka, a Chinese Embassy statement documented Chinese concessional-loan support for student accommodation. These examples involve different financing arrangements; they should inform a carefully negotiated expansion of cooperation.

PNG should ask China to support new university and technical-college facilities where needed, while upgrading existing campuses, laboratories, libraries and workshops. Every infrastructure agreement should include equipment, maintenance, staff development and practical skills transfer. A laboratory becomes valuable when qualified people can operate it, teach in it and conduct research.

Technical colleges could develop partnerships with Chinese vocational institutions and manufacturers. PNG instructors could receive training on the equipment their students will use, supported by visiting specialists, industry attachments and locally relevant curricula.

Bring PhD-qualified academics to PNG

As I argued in “PNG’s Higher Education Needs PhD Academics and Research Funding, Not Solomon Islands Scholarships”, strengthening academic qualifications and research capacity should be a national priority.

Many capable master’s-qualified lecturers carry substantial teaching responsibilities. Their contribution deserves recognition. PNG also needs more research-active PhD holders who can supervise postgraduate work, mentor colleagues, lead research and help institutions develop advanced programs. A current national staffing audit would establish the scale and distribution of these needs.

China could help by funding placements for PhD-qualified academics with strong English-language teaching skills to work in PNG institutions. These should be sustained appointments, agreed with host universities and matched to disciplinary needs.

Their responsibilities should include teaching, joint research, postgraduate supervision where institutional rules permit, and mentoring Papua New Guinean colleagues through research design, publication and grant applications. Doctoral scholarships for PNG lecturers should complement these appointments, with support for returning scholars to continue their research at home.

In “Invest in Academic Mentorship, Not Foreign Scholarships”, I emphasised the importance of structured academic guidance. Bringing experienced scholars into PNG departments could make that mentorship accessible to colleagues who cannot leave their jobs and families for extended periods.

Fund research centres and think tanks in PNG

PNG should also seek Chinese support for locally based research centres and think tanks, including stronger funding for existing institutions. These could bring together PNG and Chinese scholars to study agriculture, public health, engineering, education, economic development and international relations.

Funding should support researchers, fieldwork, data resources, early-career fellowships and publication. PNG institutions should set research priorities and retain academic independence, with transparent funding agreements and freedom to publish findings.

The objective should be a stronger PNG research community capable of producing evidence for domestic policy. Joint centres should create paid opportunities for Papua New Guinean researchers and train the next generation of scholars.

Help Papua New Guineans buy directly from manufacturers

There is also a commercial reason to support language education.

China is already a major global manufacturing centre. A New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade report describes its extensive manufacturing base and development into increasingly advanced industries.

PNG should prepare more entrepreneurs to travel to China, visit factories, attend trade fairs and discuss products directly with manufacturers.

Imagine a Papua New Guinean business owner who can explain the equipment required for a small processing operation, ask about spare parts, discuss packaging and clarify an order in Mandarin. Those skills could make communication easier and help the buyer assess options more independently.

Direct sourcing may offer opportunities to reduce some intermediary costs. Savings are not automatic: order quantities, freight, duties, quality and after-sales support affect the final cost. Language skills should therefore accompany practical training in supplier verification, purchasing, logistics and business management.

Education cooperation could include business Mandarin, supervised factory visits and exchanges linking PNG entrepreneurs with manufacturers and training institutions. The objective should be to help our people become more capable buyers, business partners and producers.

Access to Chinese machinery and technical knowledge could also support local processing and manufacturing. Entrepreneurs should be encouraged to explore equipment that adds value to what PNG produces at home.

Let education keep pace with business

The expansion of Chinese business activity strengthens the case for wider language education. The National reported in August 2024 on research identifying growth in Chinese company registrations in PNG, while distinguishing business numbers from investment value.

We should seek education partnerships in towns and cities where commercial engagement creates demand for language skills. A phased provincial program would help match that demand with teaching capacity.

This connects with my earlier argument on building PNG’s foreign policy capacity: international engagement requires investment in our own people’s knowledge and skills.

My support for this proposal builds on earlier analysis. In “China’s language diplomacy in Papua New Guinea”, published by the Lowy Institute in 2024, I examined the growing role of Mandarin programs in bilateral engagement. In a subsequent article on PNG’s education partnerships, I emphasised technical expertise and PNG’s role in setting educational priorities. Marape’s call provides an opportunity to connect these objectives: language preparation should support deeper academic cooperation, skills transfer and practical opportunities for Papua New Guineans.

This discussion also connects directly with my ongoing PhD research on China’s higher education exchange programs and PNG–China relations. As I explained in “Bridging Research and Practice”, one intended contribution is to develop evidence-based recommendations that improve educational cooperation. In the years ahead, I aim to contribute through research, policy advice and institutional partnerships that strengthen PNG’s academic capacity and help our people benefit from engagement with China.

I support Marape’s call. PNG should ask China for more schools modelled on Butuka Academy, additional Confucius Institutes, stronger universities and technical colleges, and sustained investment in academic staff and research. Helping PNG develop more PhD-qualified academics and a stronger research community could take the relationship to another level.

A stronger relationship should enable more Papua New Guineans to communicate, study, travel, source goods and build enterprises with confidence. Educational cooperation can help turn that ambition into practical capability.

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