Male dormitories at university unfit for students

By PHOEBE GWANGILO
MOST male dormitories at the University of PNG have been condemned, forcing students to use rooms at the International Village and the Games Village.
“It’s a maintenance issue,” Vice-Chancellor Vincent Malaibe said of the dormitories named Tumbuna, Luavi, Toa One, Toa Two, Toa Three and four others that have been shut down.
“We cannot put students where it’s not fit for human,” he said.
Malaibe said that had reduced male students’ rooms by 300 to 400.
“At the moment we don’t have the money to accommodate all the students so we continue with the core business of the university and that is teaching, learning and researching,” he said.
The vice-chancellor said over the past few years there used to be pre-allocation of rooms for students for the following academic year, but last year that didn’t eventuate because of the situation and so students were advised to apply for rooms. Malaibe said there was no special consideration for students under the Tertiary Education Students Assistance Scheme of the Department of Higher Education. All sponsors were treated equally.
He said the Games Villages provided about 240 spaces.
“The challenge is for the university to pay the catering company.
“The number of students on campus based on the space and at such fees you will not meet the contract,” Malaibe said.
“So we are working on a different arrangement, the arrangement that had dormitories go to the mess and eat is no longer suitable today onwards.
“We are working on an arrangement where we create a food court and we invite businesses. We give them a space after they apply and then they set up their business.
“If students want to eat, they go to the food court, buy their food and go and sleep.”
Malaibe said that would happen when UPNG had the money.