Honiara to decide on its students in PNG

THE Solomon Islands government is yet to decide on whether to remove its students attending universities in Papua New Guinea, because of the ongoing protests, Solomon Islands High Commissioner to PNG Barnabas Anga says.
Anga said he was waiting on UPNG, Unitech and University of Goroka to inform him about their operational status for this semester.
Anga told the Solomon Star newspaper that 125 students were studying at the three universities – 61 at UPNG, 35 at the Unitech and 29 at the University of Goroka.
Classes have been disrupted due to the ongoing protests by students, calling on Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to step down amid allegations of corruption.
The Solomon students, after last Wednesday’s clash between the police and students, urged their government to return them home.
They said it was traumatic watching police open fire on their protesting PNG university mates.
They were evacuated from the UPNG campus to a Port Moresby hotel.
Anga said the universities would be advising their stakeholders, partners, students and the public of their plans to conclude and manage semester one and two in due course.
“It will become clearer to determine the operational status of these institutions for the remaining part of the first semester and the rest of the 2016 academic year after next Tuesday (today),” Anga said.
He said medical students at the UPNG Taurama campus were undertaking work attachments in Port Moresby and other hospitals in PNG.
“Students at the Unitech are also safe on campus. The purpose of police presence on the campus is to control movement of students to and from the institution in light of the UPNG Waigani campus incident.
“At the University of Goroka our students are also safe on campus,” Anga said.