UNI STRIKE & SUSPENSION: CONSEQUENCES STAKEHOLDERS NEEDED TO KNOW, SETBACK IN EDUCATION

May was a sad month for many parents, sponsors and students. Normal classes would not resume anytime sooner as the prime minister didn’t respond to students petitions favorably. It appeared universities in Port Moresby, Lae, Goroka and Rabaul were still on strike, no classes for over three weeks.

Whilst the other universities have allowed students to remain on campus, UPNG’s senate (a group of senior management & lecturers) resolved to suspend semester one, indefinitely.  Appearing on the PNG Tonight Current Affairs program, UPNG acting Chancellor, Dr. Mann, told John Iggins that the suspension was to diffuse tension and give the senate time to adjust 2016 academic calendar. To effect their decision, the senate gave students 48 hours to vacate the campus. Senior leaders at UPNG have seen it fit to suspend semester, but is it the right decision? This post is my opinion on students strike and the likely consequences. 

There were several questions we should ponder in the light of any further action: if UPNG SRC successfully stayed the 48-hours eviction notice and remain on campus, what would the senate do to bring an amicable solution?; if UPNG SRC failed to stop the senate, students would return when the academic calendar was adjusted –  but when?; Can the senate guarantee that students would not go on strike again on return?; the worst case scenario was going to be suspension of 2016 academic year at UPNG, UNITECH, UoG and UoNRE.

I don’t think the government would allow for the later to happen because its impacts are unthinkable. If the strike continued to a point where academic year was cancelled, not only would the students be sent home but serious consequences may follow. We are likely to see non-certification of final year degree courses, cancelling of HECAS/AES or any government scholarship for the current students, forfeiting transport and accommodation privileges and other privileges provided to current students by the government. This means one thing: most students must return as self-sponsored students.

Not only would the students feel the pinch if the academic year ended prematurely, but the government would also have created a generational setback. Subsequently there was going to be a 4-year gap as far as each stage at university level was concerned. By this I mean, we would see competition between repeating students from years 1 – 4 (those that are currently on strike) and transitioning students (those who are moving into the system). This competition would leave many eligible students without a university place, thus creating a gap that could possibly have been avoided. Again, no one in their right mind would want to envision such setback.

The government’s efforts to improve education standard would fall back too. For example, current students at universities have transited through the Tuition Fee Free policy. It is the policy of the PNC government when it came to power. I don’t think the prime minister would happily let any university senate or council suspend 2016 academic year. He would not want to see the students who have gone through the TFF policy failed because they have not collected the required/recommended GPA.

Dr Kavanamur, on FM100 news (26.05.2016 @2pm), said that students degree would be invalid if they missed classes for up to five weeks. Students have been missing classes for over three weeks. The education secretary is right. For a uni student to be eligible for government scholarship, you’d have to score a GPA above 2.00, in UNITECH’s case it is 2.25. With continued non-attendance of classes, and obviously missed assessments, you’d have realized all students may fail their course work. So, it seemed adjusting the academic calendar could be an appropriate action to take to validate awards for each student wherever they were studying this year. But was it right to ask UPNG students to vacate the campus? Unfortunately, UPNG senate had brought upon itself more headache. The senate would be contemplating how to send everyone home, deal with sponsors, adjust academic calendar, recall them to resume classes and put-up with disgruntled students and stakeholders. It would do better if it only suspended the semester and adjusted the calendar whilst students were on-campus. It simply showed the senate was incapable of handling students’ issues within its precincts.

Perhaps the best thing to do now was for the senates to adjust the academic year and negotiated for students at the 4 main universities in the country to resume classes. The sooner the better. Many parents and other stakeholders would agree on this. Two parties were involved in this debacle. The senates was the middle men. So, what was the best thing the prime minister could do to ensure resumption of classes? How could each university senate/council facilitate an amicable solution, a win-win solution? 

This strike action was, in fact, a litmus test for show of strong leadership at both political and educational levels. If the students continued boycotting classes, it would only suggest that something wasn't right with leaders at both levels.

Double Pricing: How One Supermarket Cheats Its Customers With Devious Tactics, Port Moresby

Clarity in pricing is, perhaps, the most important factor in the retail industry. Absence of this factor results in supermarkets cheating customers – this is a question of morality, it is worth highlighting. Why would pricing be done to confuse and extort money from unsuspecting customers? If you are someone who often do family shopping at this supermarket in Port Moresby you should be vigilant, especially if you are buying good on specials.

FOODWORLD Gordons, an example of double pricing.

Selling price on both products, K8.05; 

Discount price K5.90 on Window Cleaner

I have been near victim of double pricing on several occasions. What happened was that two similar products were placed together – one on reduced price and the other isn’t, with the reduced price made to be indicative of both items. I am a maths teacher, I am good with numbers. By principle, I always check prices before I make payment if I am going to buy something – a personal trait I developed over time. I think, that was possibly why I was able to identify this irregularity and share my blue experience.

So, here were the incidents that prompted me to write about this conniving act by the major supermarket at Gordons. The first incident happened when a 5 toea change was not given back to me. I had to ask for it to be given. How many of you may have just walked away? Think about it. Though it was not much, it was a matter of personal principle – the shop has an obligation (it is duty bound) to give me the right change. The fact that I asked for it does not make me a lesser person, but challenges this devious norm that 5 toea doesn’t matter – it does matter!

On another occasion I went to the same shop to buy some cleaning products. On first sight, two similar products were put together in one shelf with the same price label on either sides, encompassing both products. Knowing the normal prices, I realized the products were reduced by nearly K2.00. I pick up 2 Spray and Wipe and 2 Window Cleaner refillers – a saving of nearly K8.00. From the picture shown above, not only the cleaning products were very much alike but both selling and reduced prices were indicative of both products. So, you would have easily worked out the special applied to both items. I found out, at home, when looking through the receipt that the 4 cleaning products were not all the same price. I went back to the shop, to the same cashier and asked why. I was told the products were different. Though I knew they were different I was upset that I had been cheated by double pricing. I wouldn’t have bought 2 of the expensive products if the pricing was clear. The fact that pricing was unclear was upsetting.

Devious pricing:

- Pricing was done to conceal the expensive one. 

- Both products were placed together in the same shelf, devious 

The third incident at the same shop happened today (5^th May, 2016). Unsuspectingly, I pick 2 Aerogard Roll On (50mls). They were taken from the same shelf with the same discount price of K9.95. I have had difficulty identifying Tropical Aerogard (K10.05) from Odourless Aerogard Roll On (K9.95) both 50mls when they were placed together. 

Again these were different products, but the same tactic was used to conceal the price not reduced.  I questioned why similar products were placed together, side by side on the same shelf with the discount price visible. I do admit that I should have gone further and looked closely at the fine prints. Should I blame myself? I don’t think so because I knew what I was buying. I also knew there was a saving of 10 toea. It was obvious the pricing was deliberately done to deceive customers, me being one.

In fact, these tactics (double pricing and putting similar products together) wasn’t the first time this supermarket used as it has happened on several occasions. Customers need clarity in pricing. If there is a discount offered, as in the case of Spray and Wipe and Window Clearner refillables (or the Aerogards 50mls or any products on sale), there must be clear separation and pricing to avoid mix-ups. 

The images and receipt were of the original products from the Gordons Foodworld supermarket. At no point did anyone apologise for these incidents. Nor did the supervisors show any indication to improve the way they did pricing. To date, I am still a customer at that supermarket, but a meticulous one. Next time you shop, shop smart.

Jobs in PNG: An Observation on Immigrants, Opportunity and Development In Papua New Guinea

I have been thinking about the different people who have visited, lived and worked and called PNG home. Many foreigners arriving in PNG (Immigrants) either are married into PNG or have white-collar jobs, but there are five (5) groups who fall outside this description. These groups were (are) influential in developing the country during the post and pre-independence era, even to this day. Actively creating jobs in PNG.

I was born 4 years after PNG gained independence. That meant that I grew up with relatives who have seen the early stages of development through their own eyes. Many stories I’ve heard: 

• missionaries making the first contact, teasing people with salt and introducing to the Good News; 
• Tultul and Luluais encouraging people to use digging sticks to build roads or getting them together for patrol officer’s visits; 
• young men employed to work at the Bougainville Copper Mine; 
• Highlanders and Sepiks recruited to go to the New Britain provinces to plant cocoa, coconut or oil palm; 
• companies like the Dillingham Brothers cutting their way through the inaccessible highlands provinces; 
• the gaining of independence itself; and many other good-old fore stories. 

The Jobs back in the early 1960s were for PNG locals. Expatriates were trainers and mentors. 

Just before I turned seven, I’ve seen Australian and New Zealand contractors (like the Transet Contractor and Paragon) building roads into places like Okapa in the Eastern Highlands and Gumini-Salt Nomane in Simbu provinces and other parts of the country. Apart from all national workers, several of them were senior Philippines tradesmen who were very influential imparting skills to new PNG apprentices.

Then, I went to schools – community school, high school, secondary school and university. Many expatriate volunteers and missionaries have been a big part of developing the young men and women of this country, and create jobs in PNG.

Perhaps it is important to know that the foreigners, especially missionaries, have given their lives to help develop PNG. Meanwhile, sharing their expertise and skills with locals.

Another group that came into the country following independence was skilled people and expert expatriates entering the country as contractors and entrepreneurs. They were highly educated and experienced people who saw opportunities. Their aim was business.

So, let me put in perspective how each group contributed insofar as providing services, employing and educating Papua New Guineans is concerned.  I think the idea is to give meaning to immigration (the movement of outsiders into Papua New Guinea) and the impact their skills and knowledge has had on people associated with them and creating PNG jobs.

1.       Missionaries – Good News, health and education

Spreading the stories in the Old and New Testaments were their main goal. But as missionaries entered remote places, there was a need to learn local languages. Learning local languages was (and is) challenging. Almost every other village has a distinct language. So missionaries either learn several languages at the same time or introduce new language – so, there was the need for education.

Apparently, infant mortality and death due to infections would have been high then, as it is now. Many denominations, in addition to their primary role of spreading the love of God, would have seen it as their other responsibility to provide needed health care.

Today, many Papua New Guineans have relied heavily on education and health services provided by missions of different denominations. Among the leading churches are the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Seventh Day Adventist, New Tribes Mission, United Church and Baptist Church. Their mission is to faithfully spread the word of God. In doing so, they will continue to provide the much-needed health, education and humanitarian services in places where government services are lacking.

2.       Colonial administration era – colonialism and agriculture

This group of people have long gone, their era only remains in the memory of many. But, remnants of that time can be seen from coffee plantations in the highlands to cocoa and copra plantations in the coastal areas.

One of the lessons we could learn was the heightened interest in agriculture. It is important to note that apart from many things going on, the colonial era was also a time when huge portions of land have been developed for agricultural purposes. A significant milestone in agriculture shift in the country, from subsistence gardening to crop for cash.

3.       Independence buzz – Educators, health Workers, planters and contractors

The mid-seventies the to late eighties had seen a wave of human resource and physical infrastructural development. Many Papua New Guineans went to universities. Others continued onto trade courses, secretarial studies, seminaries and other colleges. PNG’s human resource growth was, to some extent, at par with developments that had been happening at that time.

There were lots of foreign contractors in the resource sector, many involved with infrastructure development around the country. Some of them working in road constructions, partnering with the National Department of Works (NDoW). They cut roads into areas never accessible by road vehicles in the past. It was a real-time for both human resource and national development. 

One group of Papua New Guineans still remained the forgotten generation to this day. Many of them have settled in new places. These were the volunteers from the Highlands and Sepik provinces who were enlisted for oil palm developments in West New Britain. My grandpa, who had actually returned home, told me that they were taken to Kimbe and Bialla where they were then given three hectares of registered land to grow oil palm.

Enviously, that was also a time when Kina was strong against Dollar. You could buy Ox and Palm for just K1.00, or a carton of beer for K10, or a Wopa biscuit or packet of cigarette for just 20 toea! People were not paid a lot, but what they earned could buy them a lot more than today with some to save. It was a real buzz.

During that time, there was a pocket of expatriates, especially Australians who took PNG at heart. They were the ones who had (have) lived here calling PNG home. From missionaries to government officers, educators and health workers. They loved PNG. Many of their children and grandchildren are Papua New Guineans.

4.       Entrepreneurs – business and opportunities

The country's purse is never empty. Money from natural resources and minerals, especially gold and copper from developed mines like Panguna, OK Tedi, Pogera, Misima, Lihir and other mines in the country had replenished the purse every year. Tax revenue had increased as many people earned and spent.

So, eventually, many outsiders have seen the opportunities available in the country. There was this wave of temporary immigrants who came into PNG:  setting up law firms, technology companies, medical hospitals, logging companies, retail shops, hotels, etc.

Many of them can speak fluent Tok Pisin. They mingle easily with the people. They also call PNG home. But, they came for business – one leg in, the other out. They set up business in PNG but resided overseas. They were very successful and well known in their own rights. They contributed massively to developing PNG and creating PNG jobs.

5.       Opportunity Seekers – recent entry

This group of immigrants came recently when the country saw unprecedented growth in the economy. Money circulating within the country was a pull factor for many other outsiders to make quick bucks. The frenzy of infrastructure development happening since 2013 and oil and gas developments had added fuel to fire. For example, with Chinese companies winning big contracts, they brought in Chinese workers who took up the opportunities otherwise would have been available to Papua New Guineans. Unlike Independence Buzz, this immigration wasn’t about development. It was purely business, self-enrichment and it happened quickly.  

Perhaps, this movement was more organised than the others. What happened was that well-established business preferred to use their own workforce. By this I mean these companies were employing their own kind, placing them in jobs that could be easily done by Papua New Guineans. Obviously, the 12-doors chain of stores in Lae and other parts of the country was a typical example, including the road and building construction companies in Lae and Moresby.

Another sub-set of this group was outsiders looking to Australia as their final destination. However, bureaucracy may not have allowed them to get in to Australia. Many possibly have families and friends living there. They remained in PNG and took-up jobs, some married to locals making PNG transit home. It could only be a matter of time before they would have the opportunity to make it to their Promised Land.

Here is where a line can be drawn: many outsiders have contributed, within their capacity, to imparting skills and knowledge to young Papua New Guineans. In turn, they are (were) making a living, bettering themselves and contributing to national development. On the contrary, it is clear that the more the other immigrants concentrate their businesses within themselves, the less there are training and jobs for ordinary Papua New Guineans.

Lae Unitech Habitat Big Crocodile Called Agro

This little corner of UNITECH in Lae is a nice place for both children and adults to enjoy. It is such a lovely place to take school children for excursions or day trips. Regardless of the state, the facility is in, the animals are in an amazing condition.

Lae UNITECH’s Habitat Large Crocodile 

In comparison to the two parks in Port Moresby (the Adventure Park and Nature Park), UNITECH’s Habitat is small in size. But, it boasts a variety of animal species and is unique in its own right. 

'Agro' the giant crocodile is a sight to be reckoned with. He is, I guess, the biggest crocodile in captive in PNG compared to the ones at Port Moresby’s Adventure Park. Another highlight is the variety of birds you can see at the Habitat. Kokies (the cockatoos) can actually talk to you. If you do not believe me, there is only one way to find out – go there and see them!

Lae Unitech Habitat Needs Renovation 

Having visited the Habitat, almost every year, I am saddened to have released that the facility has been left to rot away. There is little or no maintenance done to it, let alone make improvements. I do understand that the Habitat sucks up a lot of money compared to UNITECH’s other facilities like the Butterfly Farm at Bulolo.

However, the Habitat has come to a stage where immediate attention is required to give it a facelift. It is about time for business houses and sponsors to step in and help. In fact, what sponsors have done at the Port Moresby Nature Park in reassuring. 

Several years go the Nature Park was in a similar condition as that UNITECH Habitat: rotting boardwalks, unmaintained footpaths and nettings, disgusting toilets, unsecured, limited marketing, etc.

Today, the Nature Park next to the University of Papua New Guinea is a world-class facility to be enjoyed by everyone. I only wish that the University of Technology Habitat in Lae is given the treatment it needs, too. 

 Fun places to visit in Port Moresby 

• Port Moresby Adventure Park
• Sunset Lodge
• Loloata Island Resort
• Koitaki Country Club
• Varirata Natioanl Park
• Kokoda Track Memorial
• Bomana War Cemetry
• Tutu Beach

Check them out here

About PNG Insight

PNG Insight is an education blog. It aims to highlight the key developments in the education sector in Papua New Guinea. Started in 2014 on Google's blogger (now self-hosted on WordPress), PNG Insight strives to be a platform for critical thinking and discussions; and a source of information.

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