For the first time, the number of grade 10 students in high schools and secondary schools in the Hela Province has increased by 100 percent.
This year, a total of 1111 grade 10 students sat for the national written expression examination from 14 high schools and secondary schools yesterday.
Statistics also indicate that the number of students enrolled in nine of the Flexible Open Distance Education (FODE) centers in Hela have also increased by 389 in 2020 to 854 students this year.
Hela Education Advisor Ronny Angu said in 2021, there were 433 grade 10 students and in 2022 there were 534 students. He said this year the figure had increased by 477 and a total of 1111 grade 10 students sat for their examination.
Mr Angu said this figure excludes the FODE students who also sat for the written expression examination.
He said the Hela Provincial Education Division has increased several new junior high schools in the province and so far, there are four secondary schools and 10 high schools in the province.
He said in 2024, the number of schools will increase to 32 schools with a total of 14 new high schools and eight secondary schools, and that would further increase student enrollment.
Lina Pawa, Hela FODE Coordinator, said the total number of students enrolled in the FODE program said in 2020, there were four FODE study centers with a total of 389 students registered at those centers.
But over the past three years, the study centres had increased to nine with an increase to 854 students enrolled at the study centres in 2023.
Mr Angu said as Director of Education Services in Hela, he was honored to congratulate all the Grade 10 students who sat for their written expression exams yesterday.