UPNG students threaten quit School

University of Papua New Guinea students have threatened to withdraw en masse if the UPNG Senate decides to cancel first semester or the academic year.

The students who were warned by the senate through a circular released last week that if the boycott continues through to Friday 13^th May 2016, the school year will be affected.

However, students have maintained a strong stance to continue boycotting classes through to next week.

The students threatened at an open Forum at Waigani campus that if the UPNG senate decides to end the first semester, they will call for a mess withdrawal under the condition that the school must:

1.     Refund their tuition fees

2.     Pay for their air fares &

3.     Other allowances that they as students are entitled to such as allowances.

Despite the Senate Decision that the student boycott is illegal, Student Representative Council through a media release on Tuesday disagreed on the senate resolution by stating that proper procedures under the SRC constitution were followed. The press release read;

“We have followed the proper procedures under our constitution and have given notice to the UPNG Administration of our intentions to hold forums to debate these matters of national importance. Concluding those forums, the student body has called for a referendum to officially boycott classes. The SRC has followed the due process and have called for a referendum which will be conducted by Electoral Commission.”

However, Electoral Commission officers have not turned up at the University to conduct the referendum.

According to the SRC, the Electoral Commission has advised that students that they (electoral commission) did not want to be “implicated” and thus were waiting for their lawyer for advice before going to UPNG to conduct the referendum.

SRC president, Kenneth Rapa told Sunday Chronicle that the students have decided themselves that they will not go to class unless they achieve what they are fighting for.

“The vice chancellor when addressing the students at the forum basically said what he could have said as the administrator of UPNG’s academic affairs.

“However, he saw himself the students’ response at the forum so we will just wait to hear senate decision on Monday. The students strongly feel that they will not back down for what they believe is a just cause,” Said Rapa.

In addition, Mr Rapa refuted claims made by Office of Higher Education, Research and Science and Technology Minister, Malakai Tabar, that SRC members were receiving finance from outside sources to stage the protest.

“I would like to make it clear to the public and to certain individuals that neither the students nor the SRC members have been receiving monies from outside sources. The minister should be well aware that we are living in the era where information is at the tip of our fingers and students are well aware of many issues that this country is facing unlike before,” He said.

Mr Rapa added that UPNG has received support from other universities and colleges across the nation.

 “UOG has given its support with its SRC President’s visit this week and if worse gets to worse; we are looking at all the main state universities closing down. That will affect the whole education system in this country. If you look at it, we do not have an alternate plan for the education system that will cater for the kind of mess that will be caused by such action but we can have an alternate prime minister.

“And that has to be decided by the people of this country and that is what the students want,” Said Rapa.