After protests, University of PNG cancels academic year

Transcript

After two months of student protests, the University of Papua New Guinea has cancelled the academic year.

The University Council says all students will have to vacate the campus by Saturday.

Led by the Student Representative Council, most of the students have been boycotting classes since May in protest at the Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill's, refusal to stand down from office to face corruption charges.

They took a violent turn last month, when police opened fire on students who were trying to march on parliament in support of a no-confidence motion against Mr O'Neill.

Our correspondent in Port Moresby, Rose Amos, was at the university when the announcement was made, and told Jamie Tahana the Student Representative Council has also been dissolved.

ROSE AMOS: At campus, they were given this week until the weekend to vacate campus and probably go back to their respective provinces. We actually asked how they were actually going to travel back to their provinces in terms of their travel expenses and all that, and it was clearly explained to them that their travel expenses is all up to the sponsors to cater for these to take them back to their provinces.  

JAMIE TAHANA: The protests, as you say for about eight or nine weeks have been led by the Student Representative Council. But this has been suspended as well, hasn't it? So what does this mean?

RA: Yeah, the decision was actually made because eight or nine weeks is just too much to take from the students' learning year, so the council has made that decision simply because they cannot cater for the lost time. The school UPNG council has also terminated the SRC constitution. So that means the UPNG does not have power. SRC council and council members today said their power has been terminated, so there's no more SRC for UPNG.

JT: And what is the SRC's powers that has been terminated? What power did it have?

RA: Well the constitutional power for the SRC, they were given the powers by the UPNG council to organise students, call forums and all those student gatherings. The powers were given down by the UPNG council so now that things have got out of hand with the recent unrest and all that they've decided, and they've come up with a decision, to terminate the SRC constitution. So it kind of dismantles the SRC, should I say.

JT: The campus has been very tense. These protests have been going on for months. What is the situation there now? How have the students handled this, and is it likely to flare up again into the violence we saw a few weeks ago?

RA: The campus has been quiet because there's curfews still going on at the campus and as I speak there are a good number of police personnel here on the ground.