Institutes not for hooligans: Judge
By PETER MIVA
TERTIARY institutions are no place for immature, uncivilised hooligans and terrorists, acting National Court judge Nemo Yalo said.
Justice Yalo, while granting leave for judicial review to seven expelled students of the University of Technology in Lae, said yesterday a tertiary institution is an environment where issues and differing views and positions are resolved academically through application of tertiary thought process.
He said exemplary and acceptable conduct of students at prime tertiary institutions like Unitech is paramount.
“Problem-solving skills learnt at school and prime learning institutions are applied at work places,” he said.
“In recent times, boycotts, sit-in protests and stop work protests have become common in this country.
“But such protesters are not always at fault. Employers, administrations, and even the Government turn a blind eye or ignore employees or student welfare issues,”Justice Yalo said.
He said he was not suggesting in particular the Unitech administration of being ignorant of the issues that gave rise to the September 2007 student protest and eventually the seven students’ expulsion.
“I am compelled to comment as I have because these issues eventually turn up at the courts quite unnecessarily,” he said.
“I say unnecessarily because they are issues that can be resolved at the early stages through sensible negotiations rather than ignoring them and leaving them too late to boycotts, protests, and riots.
“What happened to our Melanesian ways of resolving issues?” Justice Yalo asked.
The seven students are Murex Kilata, Noven Giuna, Kelly Keke, Douglas Umba, Vicky Abuso and Paul Arete.
Nation Stories