Fr Jan Czuba

The case briefly went to court on Friday but was adjourned to January 26 for hearing of the state’s motion.

The temporary interim orders against Secretary of the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST), Fr Jan Czuba, will remain in force until the case returns to court.

Justice Derek Hartshon, in adjourning the case, told parties that if they are to file any further motions, it must be done so, with three days clear, before January 26.

The temporary orders obtained by the Institute of Business Studies regarding its status on January 4, were extended today by the Waigani National Court.

The case filed by IBS returned before Justice Derek Hartshorn today however, only IBS was represented in court.

Justice Hartshorn adjourned the matter but gave an extension of the orders to next week to allow time for Fr Jan and DHERST to appear in court.

These increments were subjected to scrutiny by the Higher Education Department late last year and implementation were pending discussions between DHERST and the universities.

The universities were granted permission to impose the new school fee structure after their justifications were viewed genuine.

Fr Jan explained the increase in school fees is caused by the increase in the price of food, electricity and overall standard of living.

In a media statement, Secretary Fr Jan Czuba said one of the grounds was that the National Executive Council on the 4^th of December 2016 had been misled.

He said the requisite legal procedures and processes, leading up to the creation of universities, were not complied with by IBS. These statutory requirements are set out in sections 113-121 of the Higher Education (General Provisions) Act 2014.

IBS took the issue of its university status to the Waigani National Court today, seeking interim orders against Fr Jan Czuba as the secretary, the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST) and the state.

Justice Derek Hartshon late this afternoon granted the interim orders, restraining Fr Jan from taking further administration steps under the Higher Education (General Provisions) Act 2014 to cause any further delay in IBS registration as a university.

This figure indicates a slight increase in the number of students entering higher learning institutions after Grade 12 examinations.

A total of 25,000 students sat for the 2017 Grade 12 National Examinations.

47 percent have successfully secured spots in colleges and universities.

This is an increase of about a thousand students compared to the last Grade 12 national selections in 2016.

The Management of IBS University argues that they are a recognised university however, the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST) strongly disagrees.

The announcement made by DHERST, stating that IBS University is not a university, has been met with frustration and concern.

Parents and guardians questioned the department’s announcement and their children’s academic future in a forum organised by IBS University yesterday.

The authorities are yet to confirm as to where, who and how the list was obtained.

It is alleged that the list was obtained from the Higher Education website and published on one of the public forum pages on social media.

A secondary school teacher learnt of the publication of the list after students from his secondary school were questioning its credibility, which contains the full names of students, their secondary schools and the grades they acquired from the national examinations.

Secretary of the Department of Higher Education, Fr Jan Czuba, says currently the Department purchases tickets for all TESAS students however, this process causes delays in students’ travels, further holding up the enrolment process for the students and institutions.

The tertiary institutions will receive money from the Higher Education Department to purchase their students’ tickets once they confirm their lists by early January, Fr Jan explained.

This is so the students can travel to school on time for registration and enrolment.

These institutions are instructed to step up or face the risk of losing government support.

The department has 12 international standards for universities and 10 for colleges to meet to be accredited and recognised locally and internationally.

“Once the institution meets the minimal standards, we accredit the institution and the programs and then TESAS (Tertiary Education Student Assistance Scheme) will be allocated,” says Fr Jan Czuba, the DHERST secretary.