Students suspended over grog, bad grades

 By ZACHERY PER

ABOUT 100 University of Goroka (UoG) students have been suspended for academic and disciplinary reasons, according to vice-chancellor Dr Gairo Onagi.

 “I just want to let you know that the students are excluded on two grounds of academic and disciplinary reasons focusing on zero tolerance on alcohol on campus,” Onagi said in a statement yesterday.

However, some students disputed the figure and reasons, saying that about 200 of their colleagues had been terminated while another 200 were earmarked for dismissal over their involvement in the recent student unrest at the Goroka campus.

The UoG statement said a total of 99 students excluded were for attaining two or more fail grades or being found to have plagiarised their assessable tasks either in last semester or accumulated from the previous semesters.

While six students were suspended for breaching the UoG Disciplinary Statutes and Acts, they were suspended because they had breached the university’s zero tolerance alcohol policy on campus.

“These suspensions and terminations based on the two points mentioned, the university has not taken any actions on students implicated in the recent student unrest,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, a parent yesterday expressed concerns at claims that the university administration had terminated students involved in the recent students strike.

“I strongly condemn the actions of the administration of vice-chancellor Onagi because the students have their democratic rights to go for strike if they feel that things are not working right for them,” Douglas Ivarato said.

“The Government is investing heavily in education for future prosperity, the termination of the students is not in the best interest of the current Government and Minister responsible Don Polye.

“I call on the higher education minister and Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to intervene, we as paying parents must be told as to why our children can be terminated.”

Some students, who declined to be named, told The National yesterday that about 400 students who signed for mass withdrawal at the height of the recent student strike in April this year have been black-listed by the Onagi administration to be terminated.

They claimed that about 200 students had been terminated and another 200 were on the axing list pending further investigations.