PNGBLOGS

By:  Former PNG Journalist PNG’s standard of journalism as practiced by our national newspapers has been on serious decline for at least the last 10 years.  Probably their lowest point came in 2012 during the national election campaign when both newspapers investigated nothing and ran press releases by competing candidates creating confusion when opposing candidates were promoted in back-to-back stories that started out with “_____ ______ has become the hot candidate in the ________ electorate”  (fill in the blanks with candidate name and place).  This is pathetic and shows how sadly things have sunk since the heydays of PNG journalism in the 1980’s and 1990’s and the inspiring journalism programme at UPNG headed by Mr David Robie or the editorial leadership of Oseah Philemon at the Post Courier.    The concept of “investigative journalism” today has become nothing but a dream at the two newspapers.  The UPNG and Divine Word journalism departments fail to inspire and infect

OHE negotiating team arrived in Lae on Wednesday to talk with the staff associations and the student government (SRC).   Was it an accident or purposeful how the Saga was described in their agenda (see picture)?     Are we students Lunitechs?   We fight for truth and justice. This is not lunacy.   Doing what OHE is doing through Delilah Gore and Peter O'Neill to make corrupt backroom deals to keep out our VC Albert Shram not only shows that they are LUNATEKS but that they are evil and deceptive.     Thank goodness SRC continues to do the right thing and will not play petty politics to compromise the most important issue of all in the Unitech Saga that of JUSTICE.   JUSTICE FOR ALBERT SHRAM, AN INNOCENT MAN.  NO SCHRAM, NO SCHOOL!   Yesterday SRC refused to meet with the OHE team of LUNATEKS and their hidden agendas.  SRC President rallied the many students, parents and other visitors present at yesterday's rally on Unitech campus.  SRC president Eddie Nagual announced that the

OHE negotiating team arrived in Lae on Wednesday to talk with the staff associations and the student government (SRC).   Was it an accident or purposeful how the Saga was described in their agenda (see picture)?     Are we students Lunitechs?   We fight for truth and justice. This is not lunacy.   Doing what OHE is doing through Delilah Gore and Peter O'Neill to make corrupt backroom deals to keep out our VC Albert Shram not only shows that they are LUNATEKS but that they are evil and deceptive.     Thank goodness SRC continues to do the right thing and will not play petty politics to compromise the most important issue of all in the Unitech Saga that of JUSTICE.   JUSTICE FOR ALBERT SHRAM, AN INNOCENT MAN.  NO SCHRAM, NO SCHOOL!   Yesterday SRC refused to meet with the OHE team of LUNATEKS and their hidden agendas.  SRC President rallied the many students, parents and other visitors present at yesterday's rally on Unitech campus.  SRC president Eddie Nagual an

By OHE Insider More than one person has wondered why UPNG student government leaders have been so silent as the Unitech Saga has unfolded.   Two weeks ago the officers were happy to fly on a joyride at someone else’s expense to come to Lae and talk with the Unitech SRC.   That has been well established.   But what came of that trip?    Em karim wanem kain kaikai? Answer: They accomplished essentially nothing.  They never made any effective public statement of support or did anything else visible to demonstrate any real concern about the fate of Unitech students or their cause.    This is deplorable considering that Unitech students are literally risking their college education to fight for changes that could benefit all state universities. Perhaps someone should remind the UPNG SRC (and in fact, UPNG students in general) to take a look around them next time they go to class.   Where they study now is nothing more than a deteriorating high school by world standards.    It is a total lie

By OHE Insider More than one person has wondered why UPNG student government leaders have been so silent as the Unitech Saga has unfolded.   Two weeks ago the officers were happy to fly on a joyride at someone else’s expense to come to Lae and talk with the Unitech SRC.   That has been well established.   But what came of that trip?    Em karim wanem kain kaikai? Answer: They accomplished essentially nothing.  They never made any effective public statement of support or did anything else visible to demonstrate any real concern about the fate of Unitech students or their cause.    This is deplorable considering that Unitech students are literally risking their college education to fight for changes that could benefit all state universities. Perhaps someone should remind the UPNG SRC (and in fact, UPNG students in general) to take a look around them next time they go to class.   Where they study now is nothing more than a deteriorating high school by world standards.    It

By: Year 1 Student When we heard we got accepted to Unitech I guess most of us would think that this was great news and that we would be coming to a proper university. When I was young I lived in Brisbane where my father was attended QUT.  He used to take me around the place often. I remember the libraries and what was inside the buildings. QUT is a good university but not the best so it is not like I am expecting impossible standards at Unitech if I expected something remotely similar at Unitech when I got here. Then I came and was shocked at how rundown everything was.  Thanks to my pops he bought me a laptop but most students don’t have one and they never get enough time at the few computers available to really learn computer use properly. The library sucks how else can I put it.  Library staff are not dedicated enough to prevent stealing and looks like they have bought hardly any new books for over 2000 students in many years.  The Acting VC Dr Pumwa told us how good this universit

By: Year 1 Student When we heard we got accepted to Unitech I guess most of us would think that this was great news and that we would be coming to a proper university. When I was young I lived in Brisbane where my father was attended QUT.  He used to take me around the place often. I remember the libraries and what was inside the buildings. QUT is a good university but not the best so it is not like I am expecting impossible standards at Unitech if I expected something remotely similar at Unitech when I got here. Then I came and was shocked at how rundown everything was.  Thanks to my pops he bought me a laptop but most students don’t have one and they never get enough time at the few computers available to really learn computer use properly. The library sucks how else can I put it.  Library staff are not dedicated enough to prevent stealing and looks like they have bought hardly any new books for over 2000 students in many years.  The Acting VC Dr Pumwa told us

By P ENGEE  The latest backtracking of OHE is on the State of Emergency, an  idiotic idea to begin with  considering that Unitech shows no signs of unrest, only the strongest and largest scale student determination seen in years in PNG. Just before that the government backtracked on cancelling the school  year but only after it  backtracked on removing student scholarships.  It is apparent that all these OHE threats were said out of ignorance or strategic stupidity.  The result to OHE is that no one believes  them any more. Delilah Gore, who seems just about as prepared to be the Minister of  Higher Education, Science, Research and Technology as a random betelnut seller, has run away from "I'm going to solve the Unitech  crisis" and instead has sent the hapless David Kavanamur to Lae to...... to...... to do what?   Negotiate!  The problem is, the students are as sick of the lies of OHE as they  are of the lies of Unitech's John Pumwa and other senior executive managem

By P ENGEE  The latest backtracking of OHE is on the State of Emergency, an  idiotic idea to begin with  considering that Unitech shows no signs of unrest, only the strongest and largest scale student determination seen in years in PNG. Just before that the government backtracked on cancelling the school  year but only after it  backtracked on removing student scholarships.  It is apparent that all these OHE threats were said out of ignorance or strategic stupidity.  The result to OHE is that no one believes  them any more. Delilah Gore, who seems just about as prepared to be the Minister of  Higher Education, Science, Research and Technology as a random betelnut seller, has run away from "I'm going to solve the Unitech  crisis" and instead has sent the hapless David Kavanamur to Lae to...... to...... to do what?   Negotiate!  The problem is, the students are as sick of the lies of OHE as they  are of the lies of Unitech's John Pumwa and other senior executive m

By  Reginal Haureva-Kokoda Can this nation (of largely poor subsistence farmers eking a living out of the sweat of their brow, hardly able to afford any modern conveniences, at whose expense and to whom those of us reading this blog owe a moral duty of care and concern), afford another day with Peter O'Neill as Prime Minister of this country? Can we who have been reasonably educated, have access to a computer, have a reasonably paid jobs or have the ability to hold a good job, raise families, and have a reasonable expectation of a satisfactory life in a safe, affluent and prosperous society, afford another day with Peter ONeill as Prime Minister of this country? Can our Children, born and unborn, innocent as they are, having the rights guaranteed by our Constitution and the various UN Declarations of human rights, having a right to reasonable health care and education, having the right to grow up in a safe open tolerant society underpinned by a strong cultural heritage, having reas

By  Reginal Haureva-Kokoda Can this nation (of largely poor subsistence farmers eking a living out of the sweat of their brow, hardly able to afford any modern conveniences, at whose expense and to whom those of us reading this blog owe a moral duty of care and concern), afford another day with Peter O'Neill as Prime Minister of this country? Can we who have been reasonably educated, have access to a computer, have a reasonably paid jobs or have the ability to hold a good job, raise families, and have a reasonable expectation of a satisfactory life in a safe, affluent and prosperous society, afford another day with Peter ONeill as Prime Minister of this country? Can our Children, born and unborn, innocent as they are, having the rights guaranteed by our Constitution and the various UN Declarations of human rights, having a right to reasonable health care and education, having the right to grow up in a safe open tolerant society underpinned by a strong cultural heritage, havin

By:Unitech Staff Analyst The students seem very strong indeed in pursuing their goal to bring  back the Unitech VC.   VC Shram has always been our VC, he has always  been recognised by the honest interim Unitech Council as our VC and he  is still on Unitech payroll because he is our VC.    There is no need  to go advertising for another VC as the government wants to do.  With proper support by other stakeholders the students will defeat the  government's deceptive strategy and even PM will become so shamed by  his stubbornness he will suffer lasting damage to his reputation if he  doesn't back down.   Every day the Saga goes on with peaceful protest  is another day of Shame for the PM. Our two staff associations at Unitech are the National Academic Staff  Association (NASA) and National Staff Association (NSA).  Both  associations sided with the interim Council in support of Albert  Schram returning to campus.  Thus, Schram's return is supported by  every representative bod

By:Unitech Staff Analyst The students seem very strong indeed in pursuing their goal to bring  back the Unitech VC.   VC Shram has always been our VC, he has always  been recognised by the honest interim Unitech Council as our VC and he  is still on Unitech payroll because he is our VC.    There is no need  to go advertising for another VC as the government wants to do.  With proper support by other stakeholders the students will defeat the  government's deceptive strategy and even PM will become so shamed by  his stubbornness he will suffer lasting damage to his reputation if he  doesn't back down.   Every day the Saga goes on with peaceful protest  is another day of Shame for the PM. Our two staff associations at Unitech are the National Academic Staff  Association (NASA) and National Staff Association (NSA).  Both  associations sided with the interim Council in support of Albert  Schram returning to campus.  Thus, Schram's return is supported by  every representativ