The Vice Chancellor of the University of Technology in Lae, Dr. Albert Schram today told a crowd of graduating students and parents, that great strides are being made to improve the quality of education at Unitech.
After being barred from entering the country for nearly a year, Schram expressed that there was a lot of work to do to make Unitech an internationally competitive university.
Unitech graduations are always a colourful affair. The institution is a cross section of Papua New Guinea, and the leading technical institution in the Pacific.
There were notable absences today, guest speaker Justice Minister, Kerenga Kua, announced late yesterday, he wasn’t coming. The higher education minister, Delilah Gore, was also absent. Her speech was delivered by a representative.
Only former treasurer, Don Polye, and Morobe Governor, Kelly Naru, were present, but the celebration went on without the other notables.
Today, more than 900 graduated. Over 200 are women, many going into fields once dominated by men. And after been prevented from entering the country for nearly a year, the Vice Chancellor Dr. Albert Schram, thanked the students and staff for standing firm.
He said, new changes are happening. Unitech suffered from poor management over the last ten years. Investigations revealed how money was been misspent or diverted.
But it’s the events of the last two years that have stood out. Dr. Albert Schram was prevented from entering the country. It prompted a serious of student boycotts, calling for his return, with students seeing him as the solution to long standing management problems.
Today, students received certificates signed by him as Vice Chancellor. But for the parents and those who graduated, the events of the last two years didn’t matter.
As Unitech opens a new chapter, Schram promises new challenges and changes. Unitech is aiming to become once again, a leading institution in the Pacific, and a competitive player in the global academic world.
previous post