Bishop: University needs proper plan

 THE Lutheran University is a good concept and should go ahead but the “ground work” for its establishment needs to be done properly, Lutheran head bishop-elect Rev Jack Urame says.

He told The National yesterday from his Goroka home that he supported the notion of a Lutheran university to provide higher education services to the people of Papua New Guinea.

“I agree with the university concept. It should go ahead,” Urame said.

“However, it is important to get the ground work correct and ironed out the differences first.”

He said the constitution of the proposed university, issues of ownership, infrastructure, university committees, funding, sustainability, location and curriculum were matters that were needed to be considered before the project became a reality.

Urame said the proposed university could start as an institution of higher learning and later develop into a fully-fledged university.

“We can follow a similar trail like the Divine Word University or the Pacific Adventist University who started as higher learning institutions and later developed into universities over time.”

He said the millions of kina given in previous years have allegedly disappeared without work being carried out were issues that were needed to be properly investigated and a report provided.

He said the credibility of the Lutheran University project was important and every kina spent was needed to be accounted for.

He said establishing a Lutheran University was one issue he would do for during his term in office.