Vudal family university

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, February 15, 2015 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

MEMBER for Rabaul Dr Alan Marat has questioned the government on what efforts it is going to make in addressing the nepotism that is currently rife at the University of Natural Resources and Environment.

He directed his queries to the Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology, Malakai Tabar, to address the situation which he said was getting out of hand.

“What is the Minister doing about nepotism that the Papua New Guinea University of Natural Resources and Environment at Vudal is rife?” Dr Marat asked.

“What is the minister doing about the fact that the current acting registrar is the spouse of the Vice Chancellor- all heads of various decision are below the vice chancellor’s position are from the same province as the vice chancellor?”

“Also what is the minister doing about the vagrant abuse of human resource management regulations and general orders that require staff at the university that have work for just two years to be considered for a training awards overseas?”

Marat added that the daughter of the registrar who had just started at the university, only in a matter of weeks was given a post graduate training in South Korea on full salary.

“As if that is not enough, what are you doing about the headmistress of the university’s Honey Bee play and elementary school who is the mother of the acting registrar, who is the wife of the VC, therefore is his mother inlaw,” he added.

“The headmistress is on a good salary and she is provided a nice house by the university while some staff sleep in dilapidated university accommodation and in the open in nurseries being fed on by mosquitoes.”

“Makes everyone think that the university is a family university and not a public institution as it was under the former vice chancellor.”

He raised other issues of abuse of funds in processes and procurements of contracts and vehicle purchases.

Minister for Higer Education Reseach Science and Technology, Malachai Tabar, said that cabinet was aware of the situation and was taking measures to address it, adding that a detailed answer would be given to parliament on the issue.