Papua New Guinea Blogs: WHY THE 2014 UNITECH BOYCOTT SUCCEEDED

Original: Papua New Guinea Blogs: WHY THE 2014 UNITECH BOYCOTT SUCCEEDED

By Former PNG Journalist

As the Unitech saga fades into time, it leaves positive thoughts in the minds of thousands. Most of us will not forget the dedicated young people who bravely stood up and spoke out against corruption. The government repeatedly threatened the students hoping to frighten them into submission. Through the government's two mouthpieces, The National and Post Courier, we read the many smug editorials that belittled the students as foolish and irresponsible, then telling them to behave themselves and go back to class.

Unitech Resume Classes - YouTube

Original Unitech Resume Classes - YouTube

Opening the Administration Building

Schram is Back - YouTube

Original Schram is Back - YouTube

Setback for Unitech meeting plans | PNG Edge

Original: Setback for Unitech meeting plans | PNG online news | PNG real time news | PNG Edge

Melanie Vari on Thu, 04/10/2014 - 17:04

An advertised “urgent meeting of the Unitech council’’ arranged by Ralph Saulep at the Hideaway Hotel in Port Moresby yesterday was postponed at the last minute.

It was scheduled for 2pm today.

But PNG Edge was told by hotel reception to enquire at their sales office located on the first floor about the status of the meeting and was told that it had been postponed to next week due to a pending court hearing.

Unitech back to school after boycott (PNG Edge)

Original by Sally Pokiton on Mon, 04/07/2014 - 06:07

From left to right: Eddie Nagual (SRC President), Paulina Schram (VC's Wife), Dr. Albert Schram (Vice-Chancellor) and Prof. Atkins (Chair of the Welcoming Committee)

Formal classes for week five will start at Unitech today in what is supposed to be the ninth week of the academic year.

This will see students engaging in make-up classes and if possible nine classes for some while the mid semester break and semester break will not be observed.

Last Friday saw the university return to normal life after four weeks of boycott resulting in the annual graduation normally held in March being deferred.

Most viewed blog posts this month

Most read posts this month:

1- PNGBlogs Exclusive: “The Sevua Report
Mar 25, 2014
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2- The Australian: There’s a price to pay for our indebtedness to PNG...
Mar 24, 2014
896 reads

3- Times Higher Education: Papua New Guinea University of Technology’s exiled VC fights back
Mar 27, 2014
660 reads

4- PNG Edge: Dr Schram must return as Vice Chancellor: Bogan
Mar 11, 2014
494 reads

5- The National: PM must set uni on right path
Mar 7, 2014, 2 comments
446 reads

Papua New Guinea University of Technology’s exiled VC fights to return (Times Higher Education 27 March 2014)

by David Matthews 

March 27, 2014
original

(Times Higher Education is arguably the world's leading magazine on higher education with a readership of hundreds of thousands globally. Its twitter account has 108.000 followers and Facebook page over 7.000 followers. It also published the World University Rankings, and organised the World Academic Summit.

The most amazing UNITECH story is how staff organisations and students all united fought for the VC's return. This article brings home some of the realities of higher education in Papua New Guinea, of which audiences in Europe or USA are largely ignorant.

In December, when the interview was done, we were at the deepest point in the crisis, so now good news will follow, and good things will come from this type of mainstream media exposure. AS)

Students protest in support of Dutch-born university head Albert Schram, expelled by the government in 2013 Source: Ronnie Noan

Flying the flag for Schram: Unitech students march in protest to get their vice-chancellor reinstated after his sudden, unexplained deportation in February 2013

Albert Schram is a university leader in exile. He is the vice-chancellor of Papua New Guinea University of Technology (Unitech), but in February 2013 he was deported and has been forced to live in Australia ever since.

Schram has even been declared a “threat to national security” by the country’s former higher education minister.