UPNG TO GRADUATE STUDENTS IN ABSENTIA

32 students, who were denied of graduation last month from the University of Papua New Guinea, will graduate in absentia with their degrees and diplomas.There is no definite date at the moment for UPNG to facilitate it. However, it is understood the absentia-graduation would be sorted out in weeks’ time.The UPNG Council, which is responsible for the denial, justified that it was due to discrepancies in grades on their transcripts-hard copies and electronic records.Initially, there were 20 students whom PNG SUN has reported exclusively. Later the number rose to 32.They said they had been denied their rights to graduate from April 22-26 due to what they claim ‘incompetency, negligence and complacency’ on the part of administration.The students staged a peaceful demonstration in front of the Student Administration Office a day before their graduation.They attributed their graduation denial to the failure by UPNG’S Information Technology (IT) division, School of Law Administration and Student Records.PNG SUN witnessed that they displayed placards (pictured) with ‘ I have the Right to Graduate,’ ‘Why will I have to wait another year?; It is not my fault.’Amongst them are 10 final-year law students. These students told PNG SUN that they had fulfilled all the requirements of the school council validating their qualification to have graduated last month at the Sir John Guise Stadium’s Indoor Complex.They further said it was not the first time, many have become silent victims of discrepancies in the IT department.Having learnt that their efforts to rectify and fix the issue did not produce any impact sought, they said they had petitioned the Higher Education Secretary and Minister Don Pomb Polye April 22, 2024 to intervene in this matter.In response to the petition, a local media reported that Secretary Fr Jan Zcuba met with the Vice Chancellor, Dr Cecelia Nembou and Pro-Vice Chancellors, and resolved that the absentia-graduation for the affected students.Minister Polye commended them for this amicable solution.He said an Independent Institutional Audit was set to be conducted into this ongoing transcript issue and others.Meanwhile, the students said they welcomed the decision by the authorities for them to graduate in absentia.