19 Jun 2013

Concern that PNG government keeping Lae university report quiet

7:05 pm on 19 June 2013

There is some concern in Lae in Papua New Guinea that a government inquiry into problems at the city's University of Technology will not be made public.

The government ordered the inquiry after a split between the management and the board at the university sparked rioting by students.

The students and many staff have been strongly supportive of Professor Albert Schramm, who was sacked as vice chancellor just a few months after assuming the job.

The acting minister of higher education, Don Polye, says the inquiry's report is not a public document and will not be made public.

Our Lae based correspondent, Oseah Philemon, says the people of Lae had expected the report to be released so everyone would know what had happened.

"The government has seen the recommendations and they are going to pick and choose which ones they can implement and which ones they will not implement. And there are certain things they do not want the public to know, in terms of the recommendations. So that is a bit worrying because if that is the case then problems at Unitech will never be solved."