UOG student maturity plunges
SOME University of Goroka students have demonstrated all too clearly that they are unable to behave in “a proper and coherent” manner.
It is therefore highly ironic that they have used that phrase to attack their Vice-Chancellor Dr Onagi and demand his “immediate resignation.”
These students are behaving in an unacceptable and remarkably immature manner.
The UOG vice-chancellor targeted the impact of liquor as a primary problem on the Goroka campus.
We have no doubt that those responsible for administering the nation’s universities would echo Dr Onagi’s concerns.
We believe it is time for university administrations to actively control the university campuses. The abuse of alcohol now results in steadily rising levels of infrastructural damage at most of our universities.
Walls are bashed in, louvres are smashed, computers are stolen by students or rendered useless by countless virus infections accumulated in the process of downloading pornography.
Toilets and ablution blocks are abused, graffiti is all too evident in many places and even fluorescent lighting tubes are stolen for off-campus wantoks.
Classrooms are often left in a filthy state by students too lazy to accept any level of responsibility for the upkeep of their own learning environment.
Despite clear regulations barring excess noise late at night in campus dormitories, ghetto blasters can be heard booming at 2 or 3am, ruining the chances of the majority of serious students who are trying to sleep.
Many PNG universities show zero impact in terms of student willingness to improve their environment, or even pick up a broom and sweep their own quarters.
These students form a minority in our universities. But as with all greedy and selfish minorities, members of these groups believe that society owes them a living.
As one UOG student said last week, “we can look after ourselves”.
Perhaps … but recent UOG student behaviour involving arson, bashings and a campaign of terror suggest such a skill comes at the expense of everyone else.
The tertiary environment should be the exact opposite of this “us against the world” mentality, one that refuses to acknowledge that qualifications and experience or even common humanity should be the prime considerations of tertiary students
It’s a question of commitment on the part of the students, a genuine wish to learn and study as they have never done before.
At many of our schools, students are often force-fed information. Blackboards groan under the weight of chalk, facts and figures.
Students laboriously copy this indigestible diet of theory and then re-word it in annual examinations. Such tests often do very little indeed to assess any educational impact students may have been able to glean along the way.
Many schools downplay any signs of individuality, the capacity to analyse and the ability to undertake independent research.
The exercise of class control is the prime objective.
University studies are not some upgraded level of high school. They focus on a completely different approach to education.
Universities seek to develop mature and well rounded individuals who have been given the chance to develop and fine-tune all their talents.
Undergraduates who leave our universities certain that their qualifications in IT or business studies or law represent a holistic education are sadly, indeed tragically mistaken.
PNG society is to some extent to blame. For at the same time, university students are repeatedly assured that they are “the leaders of tomorrow”.
A small proportion of these tertiary students may well become leaders; it is certainly desirable that there should be a significant number of university graduates among our leaders.
But we must stop worshipping our students, over-praising them for the smallest achievements and giving them the false impression that endless academic progress is the easiest of goals to achieve.
The quality of lecturing in the classroom should be the first concern followed by the provision of sufficient appropriate books and technology to adequately support student research.
The rest is up to the students.
PNG’s first university graduates had none of the material advantages offered to today’s students – yet they created an independent nation.
We urge today’s students to look long and hard at the reasons they are attending university. And if they cannot put forward “to learn” as the first reason, they should leave.
 
Tense times at Tibetan monastery
By MICHAEL BRISTOW
Labrang Monastery, Gansu province: Protests in Tibet against Chinese rule have coincided with demonstrations at one of Tibetan Buddhism’s most important monasteries, in the nearby province of Gansu.
According to witnesses, riot police broke up a demonstration by monks from Labrang Monastery on Saturday, for the second day.
Witnesses said Chinese security forces fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of at least 1,500 monks as they marched through the streets chanting “Free Tibet”.
One Tibetan said several monks had been injured, but that could not be independently verified.
Later on in the day, dozens of Chinese riot police wearing helmets and carrying shields gathered on a bridge near the monastery.
Police officers also turned back vehicles that tried to drive along the main road of Xiahe, the town where the monastery is located.
It was the second consecutive day of protests at Labrang Monastery, which is surrounded by snow-covered mountains and pine forests.
Late on Saturday, the atmosphere was calm, but tense.
One monk said: “At least 1,500 people participated in a demonstration and at about 2pm, the police used tear gas.”
He said he was protesting because he wants to see a “free Tibet”.
“Everyone wants that,” the monk, dressed in a crimson robe, added.
He said he was hopeful that one day his dream would be fulfilled, although he does know whether he will take to the streets again.
The BBC has also learned that the situation is tense in Gansu’s next-door province of Qinghai, which also has a large Tibetan population.
Security forces were monitoring monasteries in the region, according to a government official, who did not want to be identified.
But Labrang Monastery appears to have been the scene of the largest demonstrations.
Founded in 1709, it lies in Gannan Tibetan autonomous prefecture in south-western Gansu.
It is situated along a narrow valley, lined by villages and monasteries.
Although the area is not in Tibet proper, it is located on the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and Tibetans are the main ethnic group.
As we drew near to the monastery, there was an indication of just how tense the situation had become.
We passed a convoy of police vehicles and army trucks driving at speed away from Xiahe.
There were other police officers stationed along the road.
Despite the protests, pilgrims still made their way to Labrang Monastery on Saturday.
They could be seen turning prayer wheels in a giant square.
There was also time for laughter; a street performer dressed in a cowboy hat and sunglasses entertained monks and ordinary Tibetans.
With the Beijing Olympics just months away, China’s top leaders do not want the monks’ protests to become the country’s defining image.
But Tibetan protesters seem determined to make their points while the eyes of the world are turned on China in this Olympic year.
They want to voice their protest against what they see as China’s violation of human rights in the region and they want more freedom, both religious and political.
The Chinese government is faced with a dilemma.
They certainly do not want any bloodshed just five months before the start of the Olympic Games, and will be keen to avoid any situation reminiscent of what happened in Myanmar last year.
On the other hand, they will not want to give the monks and other protesters room to let off steam for fear that this may be interpreted as weakness and trigger further unrest.
But as we left Xiahe, it was clear Saturday was not just another ordinary day in the town – riot police were still stationed on the bridge.– BBC
Editorial