ACTING Assistant Commissioner (ACP) Highlands Eastern, Clement Dalla has thanked Simbu Provincial Police Commander (PPC), Superintendent, Mazuc Rubiang, his immediate senior management and police personnel for promptly attending an unplanned protest by Kondiu Rosary high school students.
ACP Dalla said the Kondiu Rosary high school students marched in the morning of Wednesday 19th March 2025 from school to the Kundiawa Provincial Education office to give their petition to the Provincial Education Authority for immediate removal of their school principal.
PPC Rubiang and his men managed to arrive at the scene and escorted the protesting students into Kundiawa township to see the education authorities to address their grievances. The students then presented their petition in a peaceful manner and were escorted back without any disturbances or nuisance caused within the township and along the national highway.
ACP Dalla said the protest would have gone worse if PPC and his police officers did not intervene at the earliest possible time and provide the necessary security for the public and commuters along the national highway or even before it continued further into the township.
“We have learnt and know how protests often lead to bigger scale of criminal activities caused by opportunists taking advantage of the situation. That is the main reason why all planned protests are required to give enough time, including 14 days’ Notice, to the local authorities and the police for proper security assessment before an approval is obtained.
“What has happened shows your leadership, commitment, and decisiveness in all your efforts on Wednesday. Hence, this is student protest is a bad precedent that never experienced before in Simbu province whilst the appropriate authorities were on ground to address the issues,” ACP Dalla said, adding that he said this must not happen again in the future.
ACP Dalla said the responsible authorities should investigate this matter immediately and make sound decisions for both the school administration and the students affected.
Mr Dalla said all established schools in the country have a Board of Governors in place providing an oversight function to address issues affecting the affairs and administration of the school.
ACP Dalla said such a situation must be addressed quickly by relevant parties concerned with a strong message to all the teachers, students, parents that this must not be repeated in the future as it may be detrimental to the future of their children’s education prospects.