GRADE 10 students across Papua New Guinea began their National Examinations yesterday, with 84,596 candidates from 547 high and secondary schools sitting for their papers.
The Grade 10 examinations, which started on October 5, will continue until Friday, October 9.
Secretary for Education Dr Uke Kombra said the number of students nominated for the national examinations was confirmed by schools through the Online Student Information Booklets System (SIBS).
Dr Kombra said marking for Grade 10 students in the National Capital District would begin immediately after their first examination.
By the final examination of the week, answer sheets will be confirmed and sent to provinces to ensure consistent and uniform marking.
He said the Department of Education was working closely with provincial governments, police and security personnel to ensure the examinations proceeded without disruption.
Contingency arrangements have also been put in place to respond to possible natural disasters and other unforeseen emergencies.
Dr Kombra warned schools, teachers and students against examination malpractice, saying serious penalties would apply to those involved.
These include non-certification of students, termination of teachers and banning of schools for a minimum of three years.
“We have eliminated cheating in examinations. Results are now based on hard work and offer better education benchmarks,” Dr Kombra said.
He urged parents, guardians and communities to provide candidates with a quiet and conducive environment at home and ensure students arrive at examination venues on time.
Dr Kombra also encouraged the public, parents and students to report suspected examination malpractice or examination paper leaks to the Department.
The national examinations will continue with 37,430 Grade 12 students from 250 secondary schools, including seven National Schools of Excellence, sitting their examinations from October 12 to 16. Grade 12 marking will take place in Port Moresby from October 18 to 29.
Meanwhile, 157,500 Grade 8 students from 3,815 primary schools will sit their examinations from October 19 to 22, with their papers to be marked in the provinces.
In total, 279,526 students from Grades 8, 10 and 12 have been nominated to sit the 2026 National Examinations.