Please sign petitions to help save Unitech | Act Now!

Original: Please sign petitions to help save Unitech | Act Now!
December 29th 2013
Posted by Tim

Students Demonstrate Outside Council meeting in the Holiday Inn on 12 December

A long running battle between students and staff of Unitech continues against former Unitech chancellor Philip Stagg, former pro-chancellor Ralph Saulep, terminated UNITECH Professor Narayan Gehlot and higher education minister David Arore.

Merry Christmas to you!

2013 in review

Here is my year in pictures. First of course the unlawful and unjustified deportations on 7 February, 8 March and narrowly avoided on 15 April. The experience of being treated as a criminal and being hunted down in PNG by an angry Minister and his armed guns for hire, was truly memorable. As a consequence, Paulina and I spent the rest of the year in exile and mostly in limbo as to our future.

The highlights were certainly the splendid and ongoing hospitality offered by James Cook University's Cairns Institute, where I was appointed as Adjunct Professor. Furthermore, meeting other Vice-Chancellor's from the Global South at the World Academic Summit in Octobre in Singapore was memorable. It was also nice to receive the best conference paper award for my work on time-use in India and PNG.

Merry Xmas to you all.

From Papua New Guinea Blogs: Expression Of Concern And Sympathy For Minister David Arore

Original: Papua New Guinea Blogs: Expression Of Concern And Sympathy For Minister David Arore
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
By ANDREW PANAUAI

Minister David Arore, I am sure many who support our current government were pleased to hear your announcement on Friday agreeing to release the unitech Sevua report. This decision is long overdue and commended.

Unitech Saga: Report to Be Released After Festive Season - EM TV

(Come on Mr. Arore, me, a national security threat? Are you serious? I believe the students revolted several times, because I was NOT present in the country. So first you think you can fire me, and then you release the Sevua report which clears me of all the silly allegations made in my regard?

You have no powers to dismiss me and should not disregard the autonomy of the UNITECH Council, which has endorsed me as VC of UNITECH twice now in its August and December meetings. You yourself are causing continuous unrest and instability by your failure to end this saga.

Merry Xmas to you too.

AS)

Original, including video: Unitech Saga: Report to Be Released After Festive Season - EM TV
on Friday, 20 December 2013. Posted in News

The report on the Unitech Saga will be released after the festive season.

Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, David Arore, gave his assurance that this will be accomplished.
He has appealed to students not to take matters into their own hands, and let due process be completed.

Minister Arore defended his decision on the termination of Unitech Vice Chancellor, Dr. Albert Schram.

Hon. Minister of Higher Education Research & Technology, David Arore MP

Mr. Arore says, the Unitech Administration did not seek his permission to keep Dr. Scrham on the payroll for the whole year. He says, Dr. Schram has become a threat to the national security of the country.

His presence alone is causing students to revolt, he says.

The investigations are completed and the report will be published soon. He has appealed for calm among the students.

He will not rescind his decision, unless advised by the National Executive Council.

He says, there are plans to appoint a new Vice Chancellor once the report has been released.

UNITECH students want Schrum (sic!) back

I love Dr. Schrum, my pidgin name . Please sign the petition, it is really important http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Papua_New_Guineas_Prime_Minister_Hon_Peter_ONeill_call_back_UNITECHs_ViceChancellor_Dr_Albert_Schram/

Post Courier 16 December 2013

Flicker of hope is seen in long-running Schram affair - Keith Jackson & Friends: PNG ATTITUDE

Original: Flicker of hope is seen in long-running Schram affair - Keith Jackson & Friends: PNG ATTITUDE
14 December 2013



KEITH JACKSON



ON 8 FEBRUARY THIS YEAR, the vice-chancellor of the University of Technology in Lae, Albert Schram (pictured), was deported from Papua New Guinea. No justification was given for this precipitate action and, since then, Dr Schram’s requests for a both a new visa and an explanation have been ignored.

How should universities respond to student protests? – 10 views | Higher Education Network | Guardian Professional

Original : How should universities respond to student protests? – 10 views | Higher Education Network | Guardian Professional

Luke Martell, professor of political sociology, University of Sussex

"Student protest should be encouraged. How managements respond to it is about the sort of university you have in the first place. When choices are made about the university's future, staff, students and their unions should be meaningful citizens and partners. ... It's inevitable people look for other ways to make their voices heard."

Report into troubled Unitech will not be made public - Keith Jackson & Friends: PNG ATTITUDE

(A piece from Radio New Zealand from last June. The Minister seems to have decided that all problems at UNITECH must continue and Schram should not come back. No consideration whatsoever for the staff and students, or the VC. AS)

Report into troubled Unitech will not be made public - Keith Jackson & Friends: PNG ATTITUDE

23 June 2013


RADIO NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL

THE PAPUA NEW GUINEA GOVERNMENT says an investigation it ordered into unrest at the University of Technology in Lae will not be made public.

The government ordered the inquiry after a split between the management and the board at the university sparked rioting by students.

From Papua New Guinea Blogs: Papua New Guinea’s Sir Nagora Bogan will determine outcome of the trial of University of Technology Vice Chancellor Albert Schram

Original: Papua New Guinea Blogs: Papua New Guinea’s Sir Nagora Bogan will determine outcome of the trial of University of Technology Vice Chancellor Albert Schram
Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Papua New Guinea’s Sir Nagora Bogan will determine outcome of the trial of University of Technology Vice Chancellor Albert Schram

Meet Sir Nagora Bogan, Chancellor of the PNG University of Technology (Lae) and head of the UniTech governing council.

We have investigated Sir Nagora. He has a respectful record of service as a former ambassador to the USA and serves on the boards of many PNG institutions, often as chairman.

From Papua New Guinea Blogs: Now we know why Peter O’Neill Appointed David Arore As HERST Minister

Original: Papua New Guinea Blogs: Now we know why Peter O’Neill Appointed David Arore As HERST Minister
Sunday, December 8, 2013
By PAUL J PERAKIN

Honourable David Arore, Minister Higher Education Research Science & Technology

In today’s world, a country or a people’s reputation is determined by what the world’s more educated people think. Such people are widely read, sometimes well travelled, and able to carry on an intelligent conversation on many topics. The most respected media companies want such people as bureau chiefs and reporters, because smart, educated people are curious enough to investigate and compare extensively before writing about some event happening in the world. These writers inject the perspective of a well educated mind into whatever they write and if they want something to look foolish, that’s what they do.

From Papua New Guinea Blogs: Universities in PNG managed only by the best can survive in the competitive real world.

(At UNITECH we hired over 20 Faculty members with a PhD from reputable universities. To be frank, as long as the VC crisis at UNITECH is not solved, regrettably not many top expats will want to work in PNG. Council and VC need to work together, just as at DWU. AS)


Original Papua New Guinea Blogs: Universities in PNG managed only by the best can survive in the competitive real world.
By PNG FIRST

Thursday, December 5, 2013

UNITECH's Europa Building: a lot of potential (AS)

UPNG and Unitech have been falling backwards for many years. Divine Word passed up these 2 government unis long ago. The reason is obvious. DWU president comes from European culture and DWU is run more like a foreign uni. It doesn’t matter if Father Jan Czuba is a citizen or not. He grew up overseas and manages in a way the rest of the world aspires to. He has a European concept of time and in making decisions that look at long term needs. The way Father Czuba runs Divine Word is the way all PNG unis should be run.

Denounce Corruption Contact PNG Echo | PNG Echo

(Thank you Susan for this initiative. Given the "ineffectiveness of government spending" and the grinding poverty in PNG, nobody can be against exposing corruption. Regrettably, now it is still those who expose corruption who have to be looking over their shoulders. AS).

Contact PNG Echo | PNG Echo

Dr. Susan Merrell

I am asking all PNGeans to become whistleblowers of corruption. I want the corrupt of PNG – especially corrupt leaders, to be constantly looking over their shoulder, wondering who will be watching and reporting on what they do.

From Papua New Guinea Blogs: Will Papua New Guinea hang this man on 12th December?

(Now also published by Keith Jackson's Blog. AS)

Papua New Guinea Blogs: Will Papua New Guinea hang this man on 12th December?
Tuesday, December 3, 2013

By PNGBLOGS


On Thursday, 12th December 2013, the council of the PNG University of Technology will decide the fate of UniTech Vice Chancellor Albert Schram. At stake is the standard of education UniTech students will be getting in coming.

From Papua New Guinea Blogs: In the holy name of Transparency, The Righteous Examines the Obstructionist in the Unitech Saga

Monday, December 2, 2013

In the holy name of Transparency, The Righteous Examines the Obstructionist in the Unitech Saga



By PASTOR THOMAS









Praises to God that a few TRUE PATRIOTS AND TRUE CHILDREN OF GOD are coming out with information that should be shared with the readers of PNGBLOGS. The main obstructionists in Unitech Saga are now known.