Schram is Unitech VC March 31,2014, 12:20 am -Post Courier By HAIVETA KIVIA Student power has finally won at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology in Lae. The Government had conceded and compromised, appointing Sir Nagora Bogan as the chancellor of the university, and Sir Nagora’s council in turn confirmed Dr Albert Schram as the vice chancellor of the university. But the students, through their Student Representative Council president Edward Nagual, say they won’t be returning to classes until they see Dr Albert Schram walk through the university gates. Mr Nagual said they had stood up for what is right and want to rid corruption in the university but no one was talking facts and figures, giving the media traces of the money they said were alleged to have been corruptively and fraudulently obtained by the former administration. Attorney-General and acting Foreign Affairs Minister Kerenga Kua said Dr Schram was granted his visa late Friday afternoon as he was speaking to the students and will be collecting the visa from the PNG Cairns Consulate today. Mr Kua urged the students to get back to class, but they will not budge until they see Dr Schram set foot on the campus. Also for the first time, the Sevua report from the six-month Commission of Inquiry commissioned by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and his Cabinet, was presented to Sir Nagora by Higher Education Minister Delilah Gore before the students. Sir Nagora said the Unitech council and manag-ement will go through the report and implement the recommendations professiona-lly and diligently. He told the students and staff that no one is guilty until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt. This was all done following a bizarre turn of events last week. The student body at the university did not budge and stood their grounds with their protest motto of “No Schram No School”. Last Wednesday, the National Court before Justice Don Sawong ruled that the Phillip Stagg council was the legitimate authority, throwing the future of the 2014 academic year into limbo. Every decision made by the Sir Nagora council was then ruled null and void, even the graduation of the 2012 graduates of the university last year was also classed null and void. The degrees and diplomas awarded to the graduates would have been useless had the Stagg council not conceded and compromised. Mr Stagg’s term as a council member had expired so he was never in the picture when the court handed down its decision last Wednesday but another Unitech council member, Ralph Saulep, is still around. Mr Saulep was the then pro chancellor and automatically became acting chancellor but on Friday, he considered the welfare and hard work of the thousands of Papua New Guinean parents and sponsors, when he chaired the Stagg council meeting for the last time. In that meeting, there were three agendas, one to confirm the eight nominees from Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Delilah Gore, appointment of the chancellor and appointment of an acting vice chancellor. Mr Saulep chaired the meeting in accordance with the National Court’s consenting orders to confirm Ms Gore’s nominations, of which Sir Nagora was one. The council later confirmed Sir Nagora as the chancellor. The acting chancellor stood down and Sir Nagora presided over the last agenda and in his own words; “We were supposed to appoint an acting vice chancellor but we went one better by confirming Dr Albert Schram as the vice chancellor of Unitech”. Mr Saulep’s actions effectively makes legal the Sir Nagora led council’s moves and decisions. ////////////////////// The student won the race at the end.Student power.Unity + Corporation=Achievement.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 05:49:21 +0000
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