The newly-renamed University of Natural Resources and Environment (formerly University of Vudal) will not pull the plug on the rest of the 2009 academic year, says vice-chancellor Prof Philip Siaguru.
By the same token, he added, he would not tolerate students not attending classes and they would not receive any grades if they did not complete semester one.
Prof Siaguru said this after a report in the Post-Courier last Friday saying that the UNRE would close closes for the rest of the year.
Students have not been attending classes since last Monday over concerns about block courses and the grading system, which they want gotten rid of, as they claim it only allows for a small number of students at the top at the rest while the rest were below.
As of yesterday (Sunday), however, there was no clear indication as to when classes would resume, with Prof Siaguru to have met with staff last night and with dean Alan Quartermain today (Monday) to discuss on the next move by the administration.
Prof Siaguru, however, said a letter to the student body dated May 8 had been taken out of context by the Post-Courier.
The letter states quite explicitly about block courses, the current grading system, as well as the university’s position that its stand was “non-negotiable”.
Under the block arrangement, external experts on subject matters can move between campuses to teach, and did not limit the university to teaching campus students only as the whole country can be taught by videos, email and internet systems.
Whereas, under the current grading system, current percentages are 5% (A’s), 15% (B’s),
25% (C’s), and the rest D’s – “That is fair, as academic board cannot and will not drop its standard any lower, hence, compromising the quality graduates this university has been producing. The position is non-negotiable. This university will not drop its standards just to get more scholarships. Students just have to be good or better to earn that scholarship”.
Prof Siaguru said, in his first media interview since the stand-off began, as he has been very busy officiating at the LNG meeting between government and landowners at Kokopo, that “I did not say that I will close the university”.
“If the students do not complete the 13 weeks required for semester one, then the academic board cannot award them any grades for semester one.
“We (administration) have already made two attempts to get them (students) to come to the table and discuss, but they did not come.
“We invited the SRC executive to come for the meeting but the SRC president (Gibson Honjepari) is insisting that the administration must attend a forum and explain to the students.
“I am a seasoned university administrator and I know forums cannot solve anything.
“I told the students that the forum will not solve anything and invited them to a roundtable discussion, but they made it their position that the only avenue to discuss this is in a public forum with the students.
“I maintain that our role in the university is to teach the students not only in their chosen professions, but also proper governance, compliance, and to follow the rule of law.
“It’s not in our curriculum, but all institutions must make it their responsibility to teach students proper conduct, governance, compliance, and rule of law.
“I’m simply telling the students, ‘no, it’s wrong what you’re doing’, you cannot expect the administration to come and meet you in a public forum.
“This is a state institution and proper conduct must apply.
“I’m putting my foot down and saying ‘no’.
“The SRC president and his executive have allowed a minority of students to lead them and that’s wrong.
“A leader is elected to lead, not be led.”
Monday, May 18, 2009
University stand non-negotiable, says Prof Siaguru
Breaking news
A picture of the rioting in Goroka today by a Goroka-based photographerA policeman in Goroka has been shot dead (to be confirmed) as rioting in the troubled
Details to come.
Police go on alert as anti-Asian uprising continues
Madang, Goroka shops looted
By PISAI GUMAR in The National
THE anti-Chinese traders’ sentiment that started in
Elsewhere, police in Wewak,
In
He had also instructed the Department of Commerce and Industry to investigate claims that a number of the Chinese shops hit were operating illegally.
Four Chinese-owned shops in Goroka were emptied of goods and an undisclosed amount of cash in a nasty Sunday reveille when men, women and children ran riot at 6.30am.
At the gateway to the
In Madang on Saturday, however, in another morning raid, three shops were attacked by hordes of people believed to be squatters, at 7.30am.
Looters cleaned out one while three were left just as badly damaged when police arrived.
The incidents, like Lae where rioters came from Saw Dust, Kamkumung,
The Sisiak and Bukbuk settlers were joined by hundreds of other settlers in a force numbering hundreds to attack two new Chinese shops and a kai bar in the heart of Madang town.
Other shops, Asian and national, were forced to close doors.
According to
Police and private security guards were also outnumbered.
Mr Wampe said the people walked into four Asian shops and completely emptied them of deep freezers, radios, TV screens, washing machines and groceries.
The looted shops, which estimated their losses at K250, 000, were PMK restaurant and retail,
Others that were damaged included Hot Spot, Bintangor, SP Brewery and Trukai Industries.
In Madang, provincial police commander Chief Insp Anthony Wagambie said police apprehended 15 youths.
He said settlement youths took cue of the Lae and
Last Friday, Chief Insp Wagambie said he had warned all shop owners in town not to open before 8 o’clock on Saturday morning to give time for police to prepare.
So as soon the doors were opened and the youths rushed in and emptied the shop, a routine patrol police responded immediately, he said.
A back-up police Mobile Squad arrived and dispersed the crowd and apprehended 15 suspects.
The looters ran into the market and took refuge among the crowd, stopping police from shooting.
Meanwhile, the Madang town market will remain closed today to control further trouble, ousted governor Sir Arnold Amet said last night.
Sir Arnold also went on Radio Madang to appeal for calm in the province, urging citizens to refrain from causing any further trouble.
He said the provincial government, the Madang Urban local level government and police decided yesterday to close the market to business and appealed to citizens to keep gatherings of people to a minimum to avoid any possibility of trouble.
Traffic in and out of Madang was also being closely monitored, Sir Arnold said.
Media Pool Competition
Click http://2008telikommediapoolcompetition.blogspot.com/ to visit the site of the Media Pool Competition in
I do play for a team called Freelancers, however, remain strictly off the grog.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Still waiting, and waiting and waiting for an apology and compensation from Timothy Bonga
The Taiwanese government and media have also implicated Timothy Bonga and Dr Florian Gubon in the US $30 million deal from money that was supposed to come to Papua New Guinea.
Apart from that scam, the good people of Nawaeb and the rest of Papua New Guinea should know that for no apparent reason, outgoing Eda Ranu executive chairman Mr Bonga harassed, insulted, and then assaulted me at the Lamana Gold Club on Friday evening, May 4, 2007.
The incident happened as I was about to leave Lamana after a few 'Happy Hour' drinks with workmates.
Mr Bonga confronted me as I was leaving – out of the blues - and accused me of working together with Lae MP and New Generation Party leader Bart Philemon to bring him down.
He made reference to the recent newspaper reports about his payout from Eda Ranu.
I denied this, saying that I was no longer working as a fulltime journalist (at that time, I was working with the government), and walked out to catch a taxi, but Mr Bonga followed me outside where he punched me, pushed me to the ground, and then proceeded to kick me in full view of security guards.
I suffered a black eye, a sore face and a painful back.
This was a criminal matter, which I wanted to pursue further with police, but decided not to, lest his election chances be jeopardised.
I met him in late 2007, at a Port Moresby supermarket, and he made a verbal committment to sort me out, however, this has not been the case.
In true Papua New Guinea style, it is only fitting that Mr Bonga compensate me, my family, and my friends, given that he has already received his big pay cheque from Eda Ranu , is now Nawaeb MP and chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, and has publicly confirmed benefiting from Taiwanese money.
Malum Nalu
Port Moresby