University of PNG

Ruth Yara, from the Ialibu-Pangia district, is the wife of pastor George Pipiki Yara, a pastor of an Independent Fundamental Baptist church who has been serving in the ministry for almost 27 years.

In 2011, the family moved from a Baptist Church in Pangia to Faith Way Baptist Church at Gerehu in Port Moresby.

City life proved to be quite a challenge, especially with the pastor earning less than K400 while five of their children are in school.

This system combines a number of different teaching and learning approaches for each subject and course.

Pro-Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs (ASA), Professor Paul Fleming, said the module or online learning was a great achievement.

“Online materials such as PDF lecture files, short lecture videos and tutorials, including other website links, will be made available so students can access by using their own activated email accounts.”

The Kapandu hall of residence was ablaze on Thursday morning despite the lack of an electric current.

The building was condemned following the 2016 student unrest.

A team from the Gerehu Fire Station responded immediately and put out the blaze while their superintendent, John Gareresi, ruled out electricity as it was disconnected years ago.

He said their investigation division will look into the matter, adding they were fortunate it was not windy on the day or the situation might have escalated.

And for the University of PNG, more than 800 students were warmly welcomed on Tuesday at the main Waigani campus in Port Moresby.

New intakes entered the next stage of their lives with wonder, excitement and nervousness.

They have successfully passed their secondary level of education and were given an introduction to university life as for most, UPNG will be where they will be spending the next four years of their lives.

UPNG’s main campus opened its doors for the first day of orientation, where this newsroom caught up with a few of the students.

Speaking at a recent workshop, Dr Kenneth Sumbuk says this initiative paves the way for enhanced learning.

The Commonwealth of Learning, or COL, is an intergovernmental organisation created by Commonwealth Heads of Government in 1987 to promote the development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources and technologies.

As the name suggests, COL’s technology-enabled learning initiative aims to increase access to quality teaching and learning through the use of technology.

The researchers said once the resource sector, which is made up of PNG’s petroleum, gas and mining projects, is excluded, the PNG economy contracted by almost 6 percent in 2015.

In their report titled: 2018 PNG economic survey, the UPNG and Australian National University academics said based on the latest National Statistical Office figures, it is now estimated that the non-resource economy contracted in 2015 by 5.9 percent after inflation.

In partnership with long serving CHM, the two are shifting from hardcopy to digital, made available on a memory chip.

This was an understanding facilitated through Paradise Publishing House.

CHM has been working on this three-in-one format for the last two years in an effort to build up the country’s music scene.

An application is preloaded on this chip, which also comes ready with an SD adaptor and USB adaptor.

John Kasaipwalova, acting manager, at UPNG Press and Bookshop, saw that this option will also benefit literature.

Loop PNG observed this morning as students lined up outside the university’s arts building to have their bloods tested before actually donating.

Student coordinator Rosemary Mawe said this is the first time, after a while, for the school of Business and Public Policy master’s in business administration students to organise such an event.

“This is more or less a lead up to the Masters Pinnacle Event for 2017, which is expected to take place at the end of the week at UPNG.”

This is now possible following the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding between the UPNG acting vice chancellor, Vincent Malaibe, and the college principal, Sogerifa Lutago.

In a statement, UPNG said: “Under this MOU, students who complete the diploma program will be able to enrol and complete the bachelor of accounting degree program at UPNG within two years. 

The signing was done today between UPNG and Puma Energy PNG Limited, to allow for the construction of the largest service station in Port Moresby. This includes other related businesses within the premises such as vehicle repairs, groceries and takeaway food.

UPNG acting vice-chancellor, Vincent Malaibe, said this is the biggest and first commercial venture with the private sector.

Malaibe said the University aims to be financially independent after 52 years in operation.