The Students Representing Senate (SRS) at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (Unitech) has expressed dissatisfaction with the university administration’s response to concerns raised by students regarding the 2026 school fee increase.
SRS President Newton Yangharry met with the Registrar’s office yesterday to discuss the administration’s written response, but said the explanation provided was insufficient.
“The response failed to adequately address key issues, particularly the lack of meaningful student leader involvement in decisions that directly affect their welfare and education,” Yangharry stated.
Yangharry told the PNG SUN yesterday that the university’s engagement with students has been largely administrative, with limited space for genuine consultation, leaving many students feeling suppressed and excluded from the decision-making process.
“Students remain concerned that their views are being overlooked,” he added.
President Yangharry maintains that SRS amplifying their concerns to local media, aims to seek broader public accountability.
Mr. Yangharry emphasized that speaking to the media is not an act of confrontation, but a responsible step taken when internal dialogue does not yield satisfactory results.
Unitech students have been without a Students’ Representative Council (SRC) since 2016, a period of nearly ten years.
President Yangharry described the continued absence of the SRC as a serious gap in democratic representation, noting that it has weakened student advocacy and reduced structured engagement between students and university governance.
He is calling on the University Council and Administration to immediately begin the process of reinstating the SRC, formally recognizing student representation as a fundamental right, and engaging students as equal partners in discussions on fees, welfare, and institutional governance.
Mr. Yangharry stressed that students are not opposed to the university but are an essential part of it.
“Our position is peaceful, lawful, and constructive, and is grounded in principles of fairness, transparency, and democracy,” he said.
“We will continue to advocate responsibly until our voices are fully restored within Unitech’s governance structures.”
The SRS noted that public support strongly favors students, with a significant majority of citizens and stakeholders backing the restoration of student representation and the student voice in Unitech.