Unitech explains reason behind Schram’s sacking

By Erebiri Zurenuoc
UNIVERSITY of Technology council member and legal adviser Sam Koim says they upheld the “long-running allegation of (Vice-Chancellor Dr Albert Schram’s) academic credentials” before they decided to sack him.
He said Schram had responded within the required seven days last month to the 21 allegations made against him – which had led to his suspension.
“The contract demanded him to respond within seven days,” Koim said.
“The materials were considered at length by an independent lawyer after the council. All the materials were considered the whole day on Thursday. We invited the VC to present any other thing that he would like to say apart from the written response.”
Koim said Schram did make some comments to clarify certain things, which the council later deliberated on.
“When we made the decision, we were guided by due processes and administering of the due process, including giving him the right to be heard all along the process, and recognising him as the person of that standing,” he said.
“We also were mindful of our duty to uphold the vested interest of this university.
“The allegations served on the VC at that time were 21 in total. Among them is the long-running allegation of his academic credentials, which the council upheld.
“The copy that he produced was the copy that he presented in 2012, which has a lot of questions that remains to be answered.
“The copy of the certificate does not look like the copy produced by the university, and other certificates that we can verify.
“The dates do not correspond, the qualifications he placed on his CV is totally different from the qualifications that were conferred on him. So there are a lot of anomalies and disparities in relation to the credentials.
“It is demeaning to the office of the VC for him to continue to occupy the office when all his credentials were brought into question.”
Koim said there were allegations of him staying abroad, and there was evidence put before the council that Dr Schram had stayed off campus most of the time and spent very little time on campus.
“For the trip that would take him to one-day meetings, he took almost two months out of the country at the university’s costs.
“All those evidence were put before him. He did not deny the allegations but claimed that he was attending to university business somewhere in Europe, somewhere in America.
“We don’t know.”
Koim said all those things were put to him and his response did not satisfy the council, and so the council upheld the allegations.
Koim said there are many related allegations including abuse of funds, engagement of consultants on retainer bases not warranted.
The council resolved to uphold most of the allegations except for a few it dismissed.
Koim said the council was also mindful of certain things Schram had contributed to the welfare of the university, and also helped to clean up to do a number of things as well.
He said the council was grateful to him for his contribution.
Acting Chancellor Jean Kekedo told students, staff and parents at the Unitech campus in Lae that Schram had been given his notice of termination by the registrar.
Kekedo called on the students to think about “the greater society of PNG”.
“I ask you all to concentrate on your learning as your parents have asked you to,” she said.