By FRANK RAI
THE University of Technology in Lae is headed for another crisis after more teaching staff resigned, leaving the campus acutely short of lecturers.
Three dissenting long-serving senior academics have resigned between last Wednesday and yesterday.
Classes began yesterday but the mood was gloomy.
In one class, students who turned up were reportedly told by a lecturer yesterday morning to “go to the Chancellor to be taught”.
Some lecturers were not in classes, preferring instead to wait in their offices for the court decision on the appointment of a new council.
The Government sacked the entire Unitech council led by Chancellor Philip Stagg and appointed an interim one led by Sir Nagora Bogan, but this decision was last week stayed by the National Court.
Although students were given their class schedules, some remained anxious.
The academics said they will not stand by and see unfair treatment, nepotism, corruption and malpractices perpetrated by the university administration.
They accused the administration of “derailing the visions of the university by appointing cohorts, cronies and in-laws to positions without proper process”.
“There seems to be very little regard for quality at this university,” one said.
The trio’s resignation brings to 20 the number of academics that have left since September last year. The three have each served more than 10 years and have a wealth of experience.
Their resignations, coming on the first day of the academic year, dimmed the optimism expressed by Vice-Chancellor Misty Baloiloi.
Dr Baloiloi had made assurances that heads of departments were prepared to start the new academic year.
But yesterday, Jimmy Keake, a senior technical instructor from the Mathematics and Computer Science department tendered his resignation.
The deputy head of the Department of Electrical and Communication Engineering, Joseph Fisher resigned last Wednesday.
Mr Fisher said in an e-mail to NASA and all university staff: “I will not be scared by court orders that restricted the rights of the union (which was) standing up against corruptions and malpractices.
“I am protesting because I care more about the future of this university.”
Their resignations, including that of business studies academic Paul Harry, were handed to the registrar.
Their mood was that they would not work under the current administration and council because they had no confidence in them.
A senior lecture and deputy head of department wrote: “… I feel that the environment is no longer conducive for me to continue to work. There is so much animosity among the council and the senior management and the general staff that quality of work life here has deteriorated … ”
They said that they were resigning because they had seen that many good working staff members had been treated unfairly in which “their rights have been eroded”.
The university administration was tight-lipped yesterday when contacted for comments on the resignation.