No funds, UPNG will revise tuition fee structure

The University of Papua New Guinea will be revising the 2017 Tuition Fee Structure for new and continuing students.

This new change, among others, is the result of the University’s concerns over the lack of funding to provide essential services and the delivery of academic programs.

In a statement, acting chancellor, Dr Nicholas Mann, said: “Despite the decision by the NEC to provide K12 million as funding to support the recommencement of teaching and learning activities to complete Semesters 1 and 2 of the 2016 Academic Year, no funds have been released by the Government to date.

“The Standing Committee of the University Council, at its meeting on 29 December, 2016, discussed the possible options concerning the continuation of the 2016 Semester 2 classes in 2017, and the serious shortfall in available funds to finance these academic programs.”

Mann said the Council was also mindful of the possible loss of academic opportunities for students if the 2016 Semester 2 classes were not completed, the economic impact on parents, and self-sponsored, corporate-sponsored and government-sponsored students, and the loss of graduating students to assume their careers in the public and private sectors.

He attributed the complications to the students’ boycott.

“In 2016, the boycotting of classes for some four months, by students, meant that no teaching and learning activities were delivered at the University during that time,” continued Mann.

“Following the suspension of classes and negotiations between the dissenting students, the University, and the Government, classes finally resumed on Monday 5 September 2016.

“The extension of the 2016 Academic Year saw the University incur extensive operational costs to maintain essential services and the delivery of its academic programs.”

Following the lack the lack of payment, Mann said the University had to revisit its academic goals in order to achieve a successful conclusion to the 2016 academic programs, before commencing the 2017 Academic Year.

As part of this initiative, the University Council has instructed that the 2017 Tuition Fee Structure be revised to ensure that all academic programs and non-academic services can be delivered in a timely and professional manner.

The details of these changes will be placed on the University website www.upng.ac.pg  on Friday, 6 January, along with the student acceptance list for 2017.

They will also be publicly announced in the media on Friday 6 January, together with the revised fee payment deadlines.

“Those selected students who receive offers of acceptance from The University of Papua New Guinea to enroll in the various programs should confirm and pay their required fees by Friday, 10 February, 2017, because there are many other potential students who can be admitted to The University of Papua New Guinea,” vice-chancellor, Prof. Albert Mellam, said.

“In cases where new students fail to pay the required fees by 10 February, 2017, this will result in automatic forfeiture of their admission to UPNG.

“Those positions will then be offered to other potential students. The names of these alternative students will be posted on the UPNG website, www.upng.ac.pg, on Monday, 13 February, 2017,” stated Mellam.

The University will resume the 2016 Semester 2 classes on Monday, 16 January, 2017, while new 2017 students will commence their orientation program on Monday, 3 April, 2017.