Malaibe says university selects students based on resources

National

By CHRISTINE PAKAKOTA
THE University of PNG has the authority to select candidates for its programmes based on its resource capacity.
Acting Vice-Chancellor Vincent Malaibe clarified this in light of the online selection debate.
“We want to make it clear that the selection is an academic activity and, therefore, it is carried out by the schools of the University of PNG,” he said.
Malaibe told The National UPNG welcomed the electronic process done by a machine as opposed to the previous one carried out by human beings.
“They (Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology) introduced the online selection system so we cooperated. We sent officers there,” he said.
He said UPNG was asked to input two things: The criteria for the programme and the quota.
Malaibe said “no approval was granted for the use of the software itself”.
He said while waiting for the online list, UPNG conducted its selection based on four source documents: The selection criteria for each programme, the quota for each programme, the grade 12 results, and the school leaver form – whether the student had selected UPNG as a choice.
“For checks and balance, we need to do the selection as we have always done manually. So when the list came out of the system, we will compare it with what we have done,” he said.
“When the two lists came, we then discover the abnormalities.”
Malaibe said 126 students were affected. “Most of the students were on both lists. Most of them never applied to UPNG,” he said.
“That’s why you could not select them under manual. If you don’t apply, we respect your right of choice and your expression of interest.”
UPNG then invited DHERST
officers to meet the schools’ deans where an agreement was reached.