By MICHELLE AUAMOROMORO
THE situation at Kokopo Business College (KBC) has been stabilized and classes are scheduled to resume at semester two, says the Acting Secretary for Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST) Francis Hualupmomi.
“The department has intervened and we have stabilized the situation.
“We had to suspend the principal and we appointed the deputy principal to be the caretaker of administrative leadership until the situation is more stabilized,” he said.
Hualupmomi said the academic calendar would be readjusted and the students should be able to complete their studies for this year.
“It is very expensive to reschedule or postpone the academic year to next year because new students would be enrolling there.
“The only way to save the academic year was to stabilize the situation and we are very grateful that we were able to do that together with the provincial government,” he said.
The Deputy Provincial Administrator of East New Britain Levi Mano said the issue became a community issue (not an education issue) when the members of the community were involved so the provincial government had to step in.
“We helped to calm the people down and had them to return to their villages under the leadership to their ward members.
“We also isolated the students from the community by accommodating them at a facility that is not near KBC,” he said.
Mano said two lives were lost during the fight that broke out between the students of KBC and the members of the Ulagunam village in late April.
“The situation at Kokopo has already gone down to a level where we can continue with the negotiation between the community and the new management at KBC.
“We cannot find a solution overnight for what happened there; this is a wound that needs to be healed properly.
“We are in the process of identifying what exactly happened.
“I would like to assure everyone in Papua New Guinea, especially parents who have their children there that we will sort this out; their (the students’) safety is guaranteed.
“It is the responsibility of all of us to make sure to create and environment where the students can continue on with their academic programs,” he said.
