Marape reveals plans for new university in Southern Highlands

 A NEW university for the highlands region will be built in Southern Highlands, it has been revealed.

A proposal for the university will be tabled at the National Executive Council meeting this week.

Acting Education Minister and Minister for Finance James Marape said this on his return from Madang yesterday.

Marape was in the tourist town to meet with various authorities including Divine Word University president Fr Jan Czuba and director-general of Office of Higher Education Prof David Kavanamur.

Marape said Ialibu in Southern Highlands had been chosen as the site for the new university because of three reasons:

 l It is in a more central location in the upper highlands region with more than two million people living within the periphery. Apart from those living in Southern Highlands, other students from neighbouring highlands provinces including those from Gulf and Western can easily travel there to attend school;

 l The chosen site would be only 60km away from where the PNG LNG’s project’s fibre optic cable would run. This would enable the university access to internet and other online facilities; and

 l The landowners have willingly made land available for the State to build this higher learning institute.

Marape said it was very difficult for landowners to release traditional land for such purposes. But the local community was keen on having such an institute at their locality and made land available. 

“I call on other landowners throughout the country to do the same. If you want to see development happening in your area, make land available for such ventures to take place,” he said.