The construction of the Western Pacific University (WPU) will begin mid this month.
The university will be built in Ialibu, Southern Highlands Province, on 75 hectares of land.
WPU project chairperson Fr Jan Czuba confirmed that they have negotiated with the landowners to acquire the 75 hectares of land.
19 hectares of land was secured last year from land owners of Ialibu at the cost of K15 million.
Last year, the Pekai-Aluwe tribe, landowners of Topopugl village of Ialibu, were paid K7.5 million, signifying the approval to use their land to build the university.
Fr Jan said a master program has been established for the construction of the campus with all design drawings developed.
The first phase of construction will cost the government around K42 million.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology was signed to provide the management of the technological university.
The university will consist of seven faculties and will cater for 6,000 students from all over PNG and the Pacific.
There are over 20,000 Grade 12 leavers who are annually competing for only about 7000 spaces in the existing six universities plus other colleges.
WPU aims to address the chronic higher education access problem currently faced in the country.
“We are very rich in resources so we should invest now in Papua New Guineans to ensure that all the projects in the future, like the LNG Project, will employ our people and they’ll be qualified,” Fr Jan said.
This will be PNG’s 5th State-owned university and the 7th in the country.
(File pic: The Western Pacific University will be constructed in Ialibu, SHP, PNG.)