Education in Papua New Guinea is not compulsory, and in the mid-1980s only one-third of the population was literate. The present government aims at upgrading and improving the system and quality of education.
Port Moresby, the capital of PNG lies on Fairfax Harbour and is home to the country’s Parliament and National Museum and Art Gallery. The Museum has historical records dating back about 50,000 years and has exhibits of all kinds of arts and crafts from all over the country. Lae is Papua New Guinea’s second most important city and attracts many visitors to its excellent botanical gardens.
The politics of Papua New Guinea takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic multi-party system, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government. Papua New Guinea is an independent Commonwealth realm, with a governor-general, nominated by the National Parliament, acting as head of state. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament.