Amalgamation and affiliation in higher education in Papua New Guinea: The Divine Word University experience

Amalgamation in higher education has been going on in Papua New Guinea since the early 1970s by ad hoc decisions of the Government. The higher education sector was formalized into a coordinated system in the early 1980s by the creation of the Commission for Higher Education. Amalgamation and affiliation were placed on the agenda of the Commission for Higher Education in the mid-1990s. This paper is a contribution to the research literature on amalgamation and affiliation partnerships from the perspective of a developing higher education sector, which is riddled with many challenges, including legislation, quality assurance, governance, leadership and management, culture, and resources. All stakeholders need to understand their roles and responsibilities, set differences aside and make a genuine commitment and effort to correctly implement amalgamation and affiliation partnership policies for the benefit of the students and the common good of the people of PNG.