fees

Many brought their disagreements to social media.

Parents and Guardians of students attending the University of Papua New Guinea on scholarships this academic year, have taken to social media their concerns regarding the hefty fees being imposed on them by the institution.

Parents whose children are on the TESAS scholarship stated that the fees are too much.

The UPNG fee structure is: K4242 is compulsory as Admission and K12,250 for boarding and lodgment.

Therefore, a student regardless of scholarships will be paying K16,492 for a year.

The additional fees are to compensate for the outstanding payments for Tertiary Education Student Assistance Scheme (TESAS) scholarships for semester 2 of 2017.

Students took to social media to air their grievances regarding the UPNG administration’s decision for students and their parents to foot 50 percent of the 2017 outstanding payments for TESAS scholarship. This is on top of the 2018 compulsory tuition and lodging and accommodation fees.

Students reached out to this newsroom outlining the 2018 registration process.

PM Peter O'Neill told parliament yesterday following questions by Wabag MP Dr Lino Tom.

Parliament was informed that institutions like the University of Papua New Guinea started turning students away during registration last week.

“If you look at the school fee structure, I think it is discriminatory of students whose parents are not so well off to afford to save enough money in one year, to send their children to school the following year,” the MP said.

John Unage, who has two teenagers that will be studying at the university this year, says he cannot afford the compulsory tuition fee announced by UPNG.

The UPNG Waigani’s tuition fee increased by more than 200 percent for 2018, from K2,939 to K7,500.

The Taurama Campus also increased its fees to over K9,000.

“I cannot afford this. This is too expensive,” he said.

“From K2,000 it has jumped up to K7,000. The O’Neill Government must revisit the free education policy. 

According to UPNG, only the tuition fees have been increased.

This table displays the compulsory fees payable by all PNG citizen students:

According to the UPNG Council, the decision was reached in light of the decrease in the annual budget provided by the Government and the increase in the annual costs of essential utilities to maintain the continued operations of the University’s teaching and learning activities.

The council said the increase also reflects the Consumer Price Index adjustment, which will affect both new and continuing undergraduate students.

They further clarified that the tuition fee increase does not apply to international students who enrol at UPNG for their studies.

Pro vice-chancellor academic for UPNG, Professor Mange Matui, said this year, students are paying a compulsory fee of K2,900.

Next year, that fee will dramatically increase.

He said the new fee will be put out in the daily newspapers.

Professor Matui said the university is currently struggling and blamed the Government for this.

He said every year, the university submits about K150 million, which is the normal budget covering its operational costs, but every year the Government gives only K47 million.

Papua New Guinea’s voting right in the UN was suspended due to non-payment of its membership fee of US$180,000 (K571,000).

"This government has been reckless and cannot hide anymore behind the excuse of commodity prices. When the previous government was thrown out illegally, our economy was buoyant despite the Great Financial Crisis that affected world economies in 2008,” Kua said.

"Therefore if the PNG UN Mission has used up its operating costs, it also means the Government has been reckless in not funding operating costs forcing the Mission to divert funds.