The Papua New Guinea University of Technology - or Unitech - will push on with the academic year, despite months of student protests and ethnic clashes.
The remains of a building at the University of Technology in Lae, PNG, after it was burned to the ground in violent clashes. Photo: Supplied / Albert Schram
In a statement, the Lae-based university says its council had unanimously resolved to salvage the year, with a tentative date of August the 29th for classes to resume.
Unitech closed last month after a student was killed in clashes, which also saw the mess and other buildings burned to the ground.
Up until then, students had been boycotting classes for two months to protest Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's refusal to stand down to face corruption allegations.
Despite this, the university said after careful deliberation, it would try and resume the academic year and address a number of issues.
These include the construction of a temporary mess, reconciliation between warring groups, counselling for students and staff, and the restoration of order.
It said its campus had sustained more than US$12 million damage, and it would make a special submission for Government assistance so it can stay within budget.
It is not clear whether the resumption of classes at Unitech will bring back the students lost, as the governments of both Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have opted to withdraw their students from PNG Universities over the tensions.
The University of Papua New Guinea in the capital, Port Moresby, earlier this month opted to cancel the academic year with protests there reaching a violent peak when police opened fire on students who were trying to march on Parliament in support of a motion of no confidence against Mr O'Neill.
Crowds set fire to a number of buildings at the University of Technology in Lae, Papua New Guinea, leaving extensive damage. Photo: Supplied / Albert Schram
