Repair work at university dorms nearly complete

Youth & Careers

Maintenance work on resident halls at the University of Natural Resources and Environment in East New Britain should be complete this month, an official says.
Pro Vice-Chancellor planning and development Dr Pongie Kichawen called on parents, guardians and students to be patient as the facilities were built 54 years ago and were therefore old.
“Student dormitories, staff houses water supply and sewerage are in poor condition,” Kichawen said.
He said even the dormitories built 10 years ago through Chinese funding had gone bad.
Kichawen said the carpenters found the dormitories risky for students to live in.
“All walls have collapsed, irons corroded, showers and toilet facilities deteriorated,” he said.
He said to meet safety standards, the carpenters had to pull down everything including the shower and toilets which was why the renovation work was taking more time.
They was also a delay in the delivery of building materials as there was a huge demand in Kokopo and Rabaul.
Kichawen said students would be happy with the quality of the work done. They will have proper showers, good running water, rooms with fans, study lights, study areas, new walls and new electric fittings.
The main objective of UNRE is dedicated to promoting the sustainable utilisation of our nation’s natural resources.
The university aim to achieve this objective by teaching, research and extension work that has been designed in collaboration with and for the benefit of local industry partners and communities.
Its courses were fully compliant with the PNG-National Qualification Framework that ensures that they all satisfy rigorous international standards.
UNRE therefore had the confident that its graduates have the skills and knowledge they require to become leaders of PNG’s natural resources sector.