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Unitech uproar
By FRANK RAI
ANGRY Unitech students went on a rampage
yesterday over remarks by a university council member that they had
nothing to do with the stand-off between striking academic staff and the
administration.
Reports yesterday that police had moved in and arrested executives of
the striking National Academic Staff Association could not be verified
last night.
The pent-up frustrations of students came to the fore as they hurled
stones, bottles, sticks and other projectiles into the main
administration building shattering class windows and walls. University
council members and other VIPs, who attended the forum to address the
students, had to be ushered into the safety of the building by
university security guards as student leaders tried to calm down their
charges.
A forum was called outside the administration building, which houses the
Vice-Chancellor Misty Baloiloi’s office, the university council room and
pro-vice chancellors’ offices.
The students demanded during the forum for the Baloiloi-administration
to step aside immediately to allow NASA to return to work so they could
attend classes.
No classes have held over the last two weeks due to the NASA grievances.
NASA members are on strike to press for a full-scale investigation into
alleged mismanagement and other issues.
The allegations have not been investigated since first raised last year.
Instead the university administration went to court and sought court
orders for staff to return to classes and for police to move in and
arrest the executives of NASA.
Concerned over adverse impact on students’ academic life, the students’
representative council led by acting president Cathy Magalu led a
delegation to Port Moresby last weekend to seek intervention from the
Office of Higher Education and the Minister for Higher Education David
Basua but returned on Wednesday without any positive response and
organised yesterday’s forum for students to hear it first hand from
council members.
When addressing the students, one of the council members, Mr Chris Alu,
told about 2,000 anxious students they had nothing to do with the
dispute which provoked them into shouting; “shut up, shut up” and that’s
when students lost their cool.
Some students swore at the council members and hurled missiles at them
and as the VIPs including Mr Baloiloi and Chancellor Philip Stagg were
ushered into the safety of the building, the students pelted the walls
and windows with rocks.
Police were already on campus but kept their distance and watched as the
students ran riot. Some students, who were sympathetic to the
administration, also challenged the angry students which almost ended up
in an all-out brawl among the two groups.
Some shouted and demanded for Mr Baloiloi’s suspension.
Some senior students and the SRC leaders appealed for calm and brought
the students under control. They re-gathered at the same venue and were
addressed by Chancellor Stagg, who told them that the suspension of the
administration was non-negotiable.
This brought on another round of angry and abusive remarks from the
students.
Students approached by The National right after the uproar and said they
were provoked by the negative remarks made by the council member.
The students said they had paid the fees and should be in class but this
was not the case as they waited patiently for two weeks for a resolution
to the NASA-Unitech dispute but the administration was too stubborn and
was using the courts to protect itself.
They said the council had not dealt with the issues raised by NASA and
that had prolonged the strike.
“It is not fair when expatriate staff is teaching and their students are
attending classes. Some of us are not in classes so it is better to
suspend all classes and we all resume at the same time,” a student
leader said.
Police and security guards employed by the university were on full alert
in case the forum got out of hand.
Police mobile squads were stationed at the main gate all morning and
movement of traffic and people into the campus was stopped while the
meeting was in progress.
Metropolitan police commander, Chief Inspector Simon Kauba urged the
students to maintain calm on campus and wait for positive outcomes from
the authorities.
Mr Kauba said movement of people and traffic in and out of the campus
would be allowed to continue as normal.
 
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