With all the technology, Unitech is lagging behind in resources

The National Letters

PAPUA New Guinea University of Technology (Unitech) is the only university of technology in PNG.
Unitech is composed of 13 major departments that have been producing brains in this country since its establishment.
Not only that but Unitech has some very important testing facilities that are not in any other universities or research centres within the nation.
The University has become the vertebrae of this nation despite the political and financial storms it encountered during its operations.
With the evolution of technology in the 21st Century, the university lacks certain improvements and adjustments to hit the global university of technology standard for it to be recognised in the nation-wide technology market.
Listed are the very flaws that are creating stagnancy in the university’s standard progress:

  • All the laboratories in the university are old, 21st instrument-incompatible and are equipped with outdated equipment;
  • almost all the buildings within the campus are colonial and rundown;
  • library is stocked with outdated and old books; and,
  • Inconsistency in internet network and selective area coverage

There are some more which are not mentioned.
In The National on Monday, the government said its focus is infrastructure development in the cities and towns area, which is more likely a single bet in long-term infrastructure wise.
When looking at infrastructure development, such university’s development should go in-line with the country’s general infrastructure development for our nation to develop with balance.
Therefore, I call on the government to fully prioritise and fund the university for a total upgrade in all its facilities both infrastructural and academically.
A boost or upgrade to this
university will not only boost the workforce but will also be much increments levels-up to be in the global university of technology standard.

Justeen Kagit (Power Engineer)
Unitech