39 students barred from enrolling

By JIMMY KALEBE
THIRTY-NINE continuing students, who paid 75 per cent of their tuition fees to enrol at Balob Teachers’ College in Lae, have been barred from enrolling this year because they were late for the registration.
College principal Jerry Hendingo said it was unfortunate that they had to call for the withdrawal of the 39 second and third year students as the administration was only following the policies and guidelines of the institution.
“We have been announcing to students before going home for the Christmas holidays the dates for registration and students have to be on time in line with the policies we have in the school,” Hendingo said.
“If the registration is two weeks, then it is locked in for that period of time and no more.
“But considerations will be given to students who travel by air like from the New Guinea Islands and Southern.”
He said two weeks after registration closed, the assessment policy came in and if a student was not in class for more than two weeks, he or she may had to consider withdrawing and returning the following year.
He said the college’s policy did not allow students from nearby regions to register late so the best thing to do was to withdraw and return the next school year.
Deputy principal administration and chairman of student registration Jack Hawap said if students have complied with policies, such incidents would not happen.
“We cannot accept such lateness because this shows when those teachers go to school in the future they will be the ones that will always be late for teaching in schools,” Hawap said.
Student Samuel Gura from East Sepik said he should have registered but because of delay in a bank loan, he missed out on the registration dates.
Second-year student Dick Martin from Eastern Highlands said his parents were subsistence farmers and struggled to come up with the money.
That was why he was late for registration.
Some students from Highlands have had tribal fights at their homes and travelling was risky.
Therefore, they could not make it to the college on time.