The Port Moresby Institute of Matriculation Studies (PIMS) was first established in 1996 by a team led by Mr. Norman Sike (formerly Science/Physics lecturer at UPNG). The prime driving factor that that led to the establishment of the institute was to provide an alternative continuing education pathway to disadvantaged school leavers who are pushed out of or cannot make it into the mainstream education system. As stated above, by enrolling into our matriculation upgrading program many students get a second chance to improve/upgrade on their Grade 12 marks and consequently enhance their chances of being successful in re-applying to universities, colleges or places of employment.

In 1997, PIMS achieved full  ‘Permitted School’ status with the National Department of Education - Certificate No. PS 444/83. This ‘Permitted Status’ allowed us to run recognized formal secondary courses as a private institution. In the same year, PIMS became one of the first private institutions to become a franchise sub-centre of the then Institute of Distance & Continuing Education (IDCE) – University of Papua New Guinea to run matriculation courses. Following that, in 2003, PIMS again became the first outside private institution to be affiliated to the Department of Open and Distance Learning (DODL) – University of Technology Lae also to run their matriculation courses. Added to all these, just recently in 2010, PIMS was granted approved Registered Study Centre status (RSC Rego. No. 6315) by the FODE (Flexible Open and Distance Education) to run informal secondary courses.