University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Natural and Physical Sciences needs a collaborative effort to improve its learning facilities in order for it to perform its function of improving capacity and producing accurate research data.
Proper research and studies need to be done on the natural environment for informed decisions to be made but the source of learning at the premier university is in dire need for infrastructure upgrade.
Professor Simon Saulep from the UPNG School of Natural and Physical Sciences said it is crucial for people to change their mindset and attitude towards our environment, especially now at the rate in which the government is going in extracting our resources within a limited time span.
“Our future is at stake. We need to address how our future generation are going to enjoy the environment and the biological diversity that we currently have.” Said Professor Saulep.
He said the university is ready to help NGOs build their capacity and would like to be party to the work they do; he is calling for collaboration, for the facilities on Motupore Island as well as at the main campus of which the infrastructure is in dire need for rehabilitation.
He said scoping work have been done on the facilities Motupore Island at a cost of K27million and at the main campus between K12million to K15million rehabilitation.
Prof Saulep said the school has a Science 4 building, which had been there since 2014 but is overcrowded and deteriorated.
He said to get a new building with the right capacity it will cost K6million is needed. Dr Augustine Mungkaje, Associate Professor of Marine Science at the UPNG, expressed similar sentiments.
“Our biggest challenges infrastructure. That is one of the key areas. I think you will probably noticed that our marine lab at the back there has been here all the time when I was a student it was here and when they build it but they actually renovated it which is actually a good thing. They got some money from DHERST and renovated it.” Said Dr. Mungkaje.
However, he said science is advancing so the upgraded equipment will cost more to install because some science can’t be done with equipment that is already 10 years old.
