2016 UPNG academic year resumed

An officer of the School of Law told Loop PNG that he continued to allow law students to re-register as he sympathises with them.

"These are our students so we try our best to register them," he said.

He further revealed that he is aware that some students have not been able to return due to financial reasons.

Another staff at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences office told Loop PNG that they will begin to turn students away by the start of the third week, as week 11 of semester one then recommences.

Pressure is mounting as students now have only four weeks to revise and prepare for examinations.

Students revealed to Loop PNG that there are still mixed emotions as a few found it odd that the reconciliation ceremony was held without the student leaders’ participation.

Some supposed it would have been far more significant if the leaders had been a part of the event.

“They can’t be expelled; they have to be allowed back in. If not, this makes a mockery of the reconciliation,” said a political science lecturer.

One of the leaders, Cameron Wari, told Loop PNG this morning that the purpose of a reconciliation is to forgive and forget.

“The student leaders are still terminated, which means the students are terminated.”

Another vocal leader of the UPNG Momase students, Yehingu Humungs, told his colleagues that the event today is not in the true spirit of forgiveness/reconciliation “as all our SRC leaders are implicated and sidelined on your behalf”.

He said today’s reconciliation ceremony will compromise the students’ values as individuals and agents of change.

The following halls of residence are inaccessible: Toa 1, 2, 3 (senior male students’ dorm); Veari Village (for post-graduate students); Hetura (first year male dorm); Luavi (final year female students’ dorm) and the International Village.

“When students stay in one area, security will be able to monitor them,” acting chancellor Dr Nicholas Mann told Loop PNG.

“But if students stay all over the place, perpetrators and opportunists will come in and mingle with them. That’s why management made the decision to congregate students in one area.”

Loop PNG was on site yesterday morning to witness groups of students forming outside the barrier next to the Uniforce Security base, arguing with the guards stationed there.

Some of the students told Loop PNG that they have not been issued ID cards.

“We have been waiting since beginning of this semester to get an ID card. The IT office kept on delaying until the boycott happened.

“It took us 5-10 minutes to argue our way through. We showed our transcripts but the guards refused to accept it.”

The UPNG council’s decision to resume classes has been made possible due to appropriate and timely financial support from the government and a security risk assessment for the university.

The National Executive Council (NEC) approved the release of K12 million to help bring academic programs back and meet other essential expenditures, including addressing security-related issues and repair damages to the school’s properties.