No graduates for 2017

 By MALUM NALU
The University of PNG’s Medical School will have no graduates next year, says Higher Education secretary Dr David Kavanamur.
He told a departmental heads’ meeting with Chief Secretary Isaac Lupari in Waigani on Friday that this was because of the amount of time lost during the recent students’ boycott of classes.
“The medical school is in full swing teaching but they’re not going to graduate in 2017,” Kavanamur said.
“They will graduate in 2018 so you’re not going to get your medical graduates next year because of the learning hours that have been lost.”
He said post-graduate programmes at UPNG were all running as well as the open university programme.
“It’s only the main campus that’s been held to ransom by a small group,” Kavanamur said.
“Otherwise, the majority of students want to go back.
“We’re running the technical process in terms of getting management and council members going through their normal procedures in handling such crisis.
“We’ve impressed upon the Chief (Secretary, Isaac Lupari) that the political process must complement the technical process because the problem is not technical.
“Otherwise, we would have solved it long time.
“It’s a political issue that needs to be addressed and we’ve asked chief secretary and ministers to address that.”
Kavanamur said normalcy was returning to other universities.
“In terms of the situation around the country, all is not that bad,” he said
“UNRE (University of Natural Resources and Environment) have been having their classes at Vudal for about two months now.
“University of Goroka have gone away for two weeks, they’ll come back.
“University of Technology are supposed to resume and are being maintained by the vice-chancellor on the ground.”