University of Papua New Guinea Council today announced that the 2018 Academic Fee for this year has been changed to that of last year’s.
Parents and Guardians will now have to pay K2, 939 as compulsory fee for the main Waigani campus.
UPNG Council said the change in fee structure from K7,500 to K2,939 is under the condition that the governments honour its commitment of K17 Million to the institution.
The proposed fee of the 2018 academic year that was advertised was based on an NEC decision of 2013 to charge higher learning institution K30, 000 per year. UPNG Acting Vice Chancellor, Vincent Malaibe, said UPNG has been very lenient to enforce this decision.
” We cannot continue to manage the University at such a paltry amount of money,” said VC Malaibe.
UPNG Chancellor, Dr. Nicholas Mann, said parents and guardians must understand that it costs money to run an institution. He said the intention of the Council to increase fees in 2018 was to move away from government’s commitment to fund, which has not come to pass.
” This is has been the trend of underfunding universities,” Dr. Mann told EMTV News.
Nevertheless, Dr. Mann said the council has made the decision after discussions with DHERST, the PNG Government and other parties involved in changing the 2018 academic year fees to that of last year’s.
This, he stressed, is under the condition that the National Government honour its commitment to pay K17 million that was pledged to them in 2017.
