Questions hang over uni report

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Friday February 7th, 2014

 By MALUM NALU

AN unreleased Commission of Inquiry report into the troubled University of Technology (Unitech) in Lae has surfaced after the council’s decision to bring back deported Vice-Chancellor, Dr Albert Schram.

The report was completed at the end of last May and a copy has already been given to Prime Minister Peter O’Neill but has never been publicly released.

The government ordered the inquiry after a split between the management and the board at the university sparked rioting by students in 2012.

It appointed Justice Mark Sevua to investigate the power struggle between the then-university council, led by Philip Stagg and lawyer Ralph Saulep, and the former vice-chancellor Albert Schram.

Saulep, who has read the Sevua Report, said Schram had not been cleared of all allegations as Unitech Chancellor Sir Nagora Bogan stated.

“The statement by Sir Nagora Bogan that ‘the investigations cleared Albert Schram of all allegations levelled against him’ is not true,” he said yesterday.

“It makes me wonder whether Sir Nagora read the report at all, because if he had done so, he would have discovered that the report did not clear Schram of the allegations.

“The statement by Sir Nagora that Schram is ‘vindicated by the findings of the Sevua Report against baseless allegations questioning his qualifications and credentials’ is misleading and incorrect.

“The Sevua Report’s findings on this issue fail entirely because they never adequately dealt with the terms of reference.

“It was never dealt with properly in the report because Schram refused to attend the hearings and refused to produce originals of his alleged doctorate. 

“This is the subject of review by the proceedings,” Saulep said.

“Again, the fact that this statement was made by Sir Nagora clearly means he has not seen, let alone read the report.”

Saulep challenged the council’s decision to allow Schram to resume duties.