Acting PM opens K32m student dorm at UOG

By ZACHERY PER
ACTING Prime Minister Sam Abal opened a new K32 million state-of-the-art seven-storey women’s hall of residence at the University of Goroka, Eastern Highlands, last Friday.
The opening marked the completion of phase one of the student halls of residence project.
Abal then performed the ground-breaking ceremony for phase two, three and four, which will be built at a cost of K108 million.
In commending the university, Abal said: “Papua New Guinea must go for the best quality as money to be generated from the liquefied natural gas project must not go to waste, it must be invested in such impact projects.”
He said PNG was trying to move forward but ailing basic infrastructure had been slowing progress.
He said the government hoped to address this through stability, infrastructure fund and the sovereign wealth funds.
University of Goroka Vice-Chancellor Dr Gairo Onagi said work on stage one of the hall of residence, solely funded by the government, started in 2008 and had unique features that set benchmarks for modern accommodation for students.
Onagi said the building was funded through a K108 million soft loan agreement between the go­vernment and the Exim Bank of China that would see construction of stages two to four.
Chinese Ambassador Qiu Bohua said education was important for any development that needed a firm foundation to be laid.
He said the Chinese government would continue to support PNG to fulfil its commitment in many sectors of development.
Pro Vice-Chancellor administration Dr Kini James Yoko gave a summary of the projects: a new library complex completed at a cost of K12 million, a new auditorium cost K8.5 million in 2002 and educational equipment bought for K11.5 million in 2005.
Yoko said other projects in the pipeline included the students’ halls of residence (K120 million), campus maintenance (K10 million), staff housing (K31 million), central administration (K10 million), ICT building (K10 million), indoor sports and multi-purpose complex K12 million, academic buildings (K40 million), library books and computers (K12 million), chapel (K5 million), senior and international students residential units (K20 million) and students services building (K10 million).