The PNG University of Technology students have postponed their mess facilities petition presentation.
Unitech’s Student Representative Senate (SRS) shut down the school mess on Monday, April 10th, in frustration over the “lack of transparency between the student body and school’s administration regarding the continuous underlying issues concerning the mess”.
While the mess was opened the next day, the SRS outlined that the K17.5 million mess construction project, awarded to the Regional Engineering and Construction (REC) Ltd in 2021, was scheduled to be completed by September 2022. However, “construction has stopped altogether due to the company’s in-house issues”.
The SRS outlined that the current mess cannot cater to the number of students on campus.
While the student body is demanding clear and prompt actions with the construction of the new mess facilities, their presentation of demands, scheduled for Friday, April 14th, was postponed following the death of mechanical engineering student, Raymond Chikou.
“We understand that you may be disappointed with this decision, but we hope you understand that this is not the right time,” said SRS president, Kenzie Walipi.
“With mixed emotions and heavy hearts, we need to take the time to mourn and honour the life of our fellow student.
“Furthermore, this postponement will allow us to ensure that the full university senior executive management team, including the Vice Chancellor and the Pro VC, are present to receive the petition. We believe it is important that all necessary parties are available to hear our concerns.
“We appreciate your understanding in this matter, and we will inform you of the new date for the petition presentation as soon as it is scheduled.”