from the National 9th March

"Unitech uproar By FRANK RAIANGRY
Unitech students went on a rampage yesterday over remarks by a university council member that they had nothing to do with the stand-off between striking academic staff and the administration.Reports yesterday that police had moved in and arrested executives of the striking National Academic Staff Association could not be verified last night.The pent-up frustrations of students came to the fore as they hurled stones, bottles, sticks and other projectiles into the main administration building shattering class windows and walls. University council members and other VIPs, who attended the forum to address the students, had to be ushered into the safety of the building by university security guards as student leaders tried to calm down their charges. A forum was called outside the administration building, which houses the Vice-Chancellor Misty Baloiloi’s office, the university council room and pro-vice chancellors’ offices. The students demanded during the forum for the Baloiloi-administration to step aside immediately to allow NASA to return to work so they could attend classes. No classes have held over the last two weeks due to the NASA grievances.NASA members are on strike to press for a full-scale investigation into alleged mismanagement and other issues. The allegations have not been investigated since first raised last year. Instead the university administration went to court and sought court orders for staff to return to classes and for police to move in and arrest the executives of NASA.Concerned over adverse impact on students’ academic life, the students’ representative council led by acting president Cathy Magalu led a delegation to Port Moresby last weekend to seek intervention from the Office of Higher Education and the Minister for Higher Education David Basua but returned on Wednesday without any positive response and organised yesterday’s forum for students to hear it first hand from council members. When addressing the students, one of the council members, Mr Chris Alu, told about 2,000 anxious students they had nothing to do with the dispute which provoked them into shouting; “shut up, shut up” and that’s when students lost their cool. Some students swore at the council members and hurled missiles at them and as the VIPs including Mr Baloiloi and Chancellor Philip Stagg were ushered into the safety of the building, the students pelted the walls and windows with rocks. Police were already on campus but kept their distance and watched as the students ran riot. Some students, who were sympathetic to the administration, also challenged the angry students which almost ended up in an all-out brawl among the two groups.Some shouted and demanded for Mr Baloiloi’s suspension.Some senior students and the SRC leaders appealed for calm and brought the students under control. They re-gathered at the same venue and were addressed by Chancellor Stagg, who told them that the suspension of the administration was non-negotiable. This brought on another round of angry and abusive remarks from the students.Students approached by The National right after the uproar and said they were provoked by the negative remarks made by the council member.The students said they had paid the fees and should be in class but this was not the case as they waited patiently for two weeks for a resolution to the NASA-Unitech dispute but the administration was too stubborn and was using the courts to protect itself.They said the council had not dealt with the issues raised by NASA and that had prolonged the strike.“It is not fair when expatriate staff is teaching and their students are attending classes. Some of us are not in classes so it is better to suspend all classes and we all resume at the same time,” a student leader said.Police and security guards employed by the university were on full alert in case the forum got out of hand. Police mobile squads were stationed at the main gate all morning and movement of traffic and people into the campus was stopped while the meeting was in progress.Metropolitan police commander, Chief Inspector Simon Kauba urged the students to maintain calm on campus and wait for positive outcomes from the authorities.Mr Kauba said movement of people and traffic in and out of the campus would be allowed to continue as normal."