For many living in the remote communities of the Kokoda Track and beyond in Oro and Central Provinces, getting a full education isn’t easy. Long distances across challenging terrain, limited schools and places, lack of funds and family responsibilities mean many young people (particularly girls) leave school early - especially at the secondary level.

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But if we want enough local teachers and health workers serving communities in the Kokoda catchment, we need to create other ways for people to finish their education. That means opening up flexible, second-chance pathways so they can return to school, complete their studies, and go on to further education.

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The current school system doesn’t have the schools to meet the needs of the sparse population of Oro and Central provinces. Many students drop out after primary school or between senior grades. While the government is working to address this, more options are needed to provide universal education for all.

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KTF’s solution - second-chance pathways through Flexible Open Distance Education (FODE), a PNG government-endorsed program that helps early school leavers re-enter formal education and finish Grade 12. It’s a key element of the PNG government’s strategy for making education truly accessible - for everyone.

 

We offer two flexible learning options for people in rural and remote Oro & Central:

• Helping early school leavers pick up where they left off and work towards finishing Grade 12.

• Giving people a second chance to improve their grades so they can get into tertiary study.

 

FODE plays a vital role under PNG’s new education reforms. To become a teacher or health worker, you now need a Grade 12 qualification and a minimum GPA of 2.8 to get into tertiary study. FODE gives people the chance to meet those new requirements - while still working and supporting their communities. 

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From our ‘home’ of Kokoda College, carved out of the jungle, and the Mt Koiari FODE Centre, the first ever high school perched high in the mountains of the Kokoda Track, KTF’s FODE brings secondary school to the communities of the Track and beyond.

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Through flexible lesson delivery, electronic learning resources, student progress monitoring and support and fee-free education, KTF’s FODE helps build a stronger local workforce by graduating more people from secondary school with better results.

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Tertiary pathways in Oro Province

 

To continue the learning journey after FODE, KTF has partnered with the Modawa Institute of Higher Education in Popondetta to provide financial and technical support to their newly-developed School of Teaching, which was launched during 2024. 

 

Modawa offers Oro Province’s first Diploma in Primary Teaching studies, providing a welcome tertiary option for KTF’s FODE students on teaching pathways to progress their studies locally.

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