15 Nov 2005

PNG academic questions legality of university mass sackings

5:34 pm on 15 November 2005

An academic at the University of Papua New Guinea say he will look at legal aspects of the sacking of University administration.

This comes after the Minister of Higher Education, Don Polye, announced the dismissal of the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, and the University council.

The minister acted on a recommendation of a committee investigating student protests in July.

The 33 member University council will be replaced by a ten member Interim Council, headed by Simon Kenehe as its chair.

A law school academic, Lawrence Kalinoe, says he is concerned about the minister's interference in University matters.

He says the Minister's behavior would not be legally appropriate.

"It gives rises to all sorts of difficult legal issues now; and never before, never ever before we have had this situation in this university, in this country, where a minister of state intervened and terminated an entire university council and put in a new university council. That is a cause of concern in the academic committee and I think we must not allow this happen and we must fight."