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Subject: Unitech situation messy Author: SB [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: Fri, Feb 22 2008, 08:36:20pm People, Reading about the situation in unitech through the dailies, I tend to think the NASA is a very bad group of people who are self centered. I have never seen lazy people being paid so much and yet complain for more pay but the NASA members are one such group. I had a short stint working at unitech and I was appalled by the laziness shown by both academics and the non academic staff. Both groups of people were well looked after compared of most of the other government bodies but wanted extra money for things that they did for the university. I hope the government fix these people up quickly for the sake of the innocent students who deserve better mentors then these people. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

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[> Subject: Re: Unitech situation messy Author: extract [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: Tue, Feb 26 2008, 10:54:40am Extract from todays national... not a good sign??? 3 more Unitech lecturers resign By FRANK RAI THE University of Technology in Lae is headed for another crisis after more teaching staff resigned, leaving the campus acutely short of lecturers. Three dissenting long-serving senior academics have resigned between last Wednesday and yesterday. Classes began yesterday but the mood was gloomy. In one class, students who turned up were reportedly told by a lecturer yesterday morning to “go to the Chancellor to be taught”. Some lecturers were not in classes, preferring instead to wait in their offices for the court decision on the appointment of a new council. The Government sacked the entire Unitech council led by Chancellor Philip Stagg and appointed an interim one led by Sir Nagora Bogan, but this decision was last week stayed by the National Court. Although students were given their class schedules, some remained anxious. The academics said they will not stand by and see unfair treatment, nepotism, corruption and malpractices perpetrated by the university administration. They accused the administration of “derailing the visions of the university by appointing cohorts, cronies and in-laws to positions without proper process”. “There seems to be very little regard for quality at this university,” one said. The trio’s resignation brings to 20 the number of academics that have left since September last year. The three have each served more than 10 years and have a wealth of experience. Their resignations, coming on the first day of the academic year, dimmed the optimism expressed by Vice-Chancellor Misty Baloiloi. Dr Baloiloi had made assurances that heads of departments were prepared to start the new academic year. But yesterday, Jimmy Keake, a senior technical instructor from the Mathematics and Computer Science department tendered his resignation. The deputy head of the Department of Electrical and Communication Engineering, Joseph Fisher resigned last Wednesday. Mr Fisher said in an e-mail to NASA and all university staff: “I will not be scared by court orders that restricted the rights of the union (which was) standing up against corruptions and malpractices. “I am protesting because I care more about the future of this university.” Their resignations, including that of business studies academic Paul Harry, were handed to the registrar. Their mood was that they would not work under the current administration and council because they had no confidence in them. A senior lecture and deputy head of department wrote: “… I feel that the environment is no longer conducive for me to continue to work. There is so much animosity among the council and the senior management and the general staff that quality of work life here has deteriorated … ” They said that they were resigning because they had seen that many good working staff members had been treated unfairly in which “their rights have been eroded”. The university administration was tight-lipped yesterday when contacted for comments on the resignation. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Unitech situation messy Author: richard [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: Tue, Feb 26 2008, 03:37:12pm SB, i think there as to be a good understanding on this issue, meaning, inside out of the reasons behind. I had a chat with one senior mgt last time and he was reluctant to answer few questions asked. I'm not suporting NASA but its not the money factor bro, its the type of managment environment that you can't cope with....let me tell you the fact that UOT is a technical University and staff salary is not to be compared with other universities. This is really a poor arguement most people even the mgt are stating. They deserve more then wat is being offered. The facilities are rundown, library is a history galary, ICT facilities are poor despite being the distributor of domains in png, academic houses are poor, risky,,,academics buildings are deteriorating, students residential areas are rundown, potholes every where, social problems encountered like rapes, break_N_enter, harrashment, threats, contracting private security firms when there is no need at all, you name the list that goes on. I can't tell you on the administrative issues on such forums coz its too sensitive at this point of time when people's life are threathened via phone calls after the board was sacked! Fellows, VC will be the next to pack his bags together with Allan Physco, Dr. Tagis and Dr. Pogi at OHE, and their cohorts..when things come clear. there is something fishy so current and ex-UOTs plus interested parties, lets pray that the truth will reveal the devil on the publics' eye!!!!!! Lastly, the batch of staff resigned are some of the most qualified and internationally recognised brains. e.g. Maths depts lost Dr. Samual Kopamo...the engan, who's ranked among the top world mathematicians....Dr. Witney (Mining Dept) from Simbu, one of the two qualified Meturlugists in South Pacific....etc it will cost ages to find such brains unless the currect administration is fucked out! Ya, NASA might be wrong as per percieved by outsiders but they have brought light into the black operations...... You can't send a full armoured armed mobile and task force policeman to arrest the NASA executives in the middle of night. The kids and wifes shocked! Jesus christ, which world bank have they robed or did they threathened bill gates? I was with the NASA president at that time in his house when this ordeal occured... get real guys, get real and talk sense..... SOMTHING'S FISHY!!!!! [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Re: Unitech situation messy Author: richard [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: Tue, Feb 26 2008, 03:53:39pm ......continueation from above: ...the management has to refocus on the areas which deemed inefective or causing the backlog. Try phase out old syllabus and introduce new courses/subjects into existing depts/courses. Lazy staff as to be kicked out if they are incompetent.....do away with employing cohorts and political and religious cronies bypasing legal procedures of employment....the institution should be innovative and creative....those HOD that supress surbodinates should be sacked or demoted..... more staff should be sent overseas for further studies, these are some of the issues the genuine NASA are fighting for. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Unitech situation messy Author: SB [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: Tue, Feb 26 2008, 05:40:09pm Richard, I do not want to dwell a lot on my experiance as a student and of later times as a staff member at unitech but the observations I made earlier in this tread were situations that I had to manage while at unitech. There were times when staff from the department that I was working for were asked to undertake projects of a commercial nature and everyone involved wanted to be paid for taking part in the works carried out. Now if you read the by laws and Unitech Staff Handbook, there is no provisions for payments outside of normal salaries apart from allowances paid for travelling on business. These people are already paid very good fornightly salaries compared to people with similar qualifications working in other departments. What really got into my nerves was the productivity level of just about all the staff at the university, i.e both academics and non academics but especially the academics. The point that I am trying to highlight here is the fact that the unitech academics are paid alot of money for productivity levels that rank amongst the lowest for universities in the third world. The measure of success for any process is the quality of output that comes out of if. The recent graduates from the engineering departments in unitech are classic examples. They are seen to be typically lacking in many areas. They do not even seem to grapse very fundamental engineering principles. Their mentors at the work place spent lots of company time teaching them the basics. This shortfall I say is due to the quality of lecturers at unitech. The student is as good as his/her lecturer. I believe the PNG government needs to invest more money towards university education for its young people by bringing in highly qualified and competent lectures to produce high flying graduates who can become immdeiate assets to their organisation. Unitech does not need politicians, they need academics who have a desire to see their students succeed. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Unitech situation messy Author: richard [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: Wed, Feb 27 2008, 12:15:31pm ummmm...that makes me thinking, SB!... 1. UDC contracted Tasks: THough I have not read that handbook thoroughly, I know from experience that staff and or students engaged in UDC contracts/jobs are entitled to be paid a commission together with their TA for their extra tasks. This has been the practice ever since the prosperous years, i.e. 80s and 90s and still continues today. It is said to be a business norm at UOT. 2. Package Numeration: An employees package differs from each other depending on their standards. Like were I work now, it is two grade pay higher than of a same grade paid in another. You may have the same qualification as with of your course mates but they may earn higher or lower then you. There are more to what you have thought to say!! 3.Productivity Level Well, one has to understand the politics involved in promoting and investing on academics' creativty which enhances the productivity level. Innovative strategies are not established though well talked about by the misty preacher! I wonder if you have been given a chance to write a journal to be presented in a seminar or conference overseas during your stint at UOT? I have witnessed seniors who have been underminded and supressed by Bureaucrat's political bevels. The most fancied "BIO-ENGINE" or "BIO-DIESEL" project from Mechanical Engineering has never eventuated and will never come to fruition within the next 5-10 years. This was a typical example of the scenario here. If such incidents happen, how would one expect the world to rank our enthusiastic academics? 4. Yes, its sad state when graduates don't perform to expectations of the employers! but then we can't compare the performance of lecturers to quality of graduates, though! Lets have in mind that all the Engineering depts laboratories are hanging on line, even all the depts. If labs facilities are in poor state, what can the lecturer do for you? is it the lecturers' responsibility to purchase and maintain the required materials? Is it the lecturers' job to seek funds to finance the deficits? Students' can't point their figures at lecturers because it is a cooperative effort between the top and lower managements together with surbodinates to uplift the learning facilities, thus standard. As I have mentioned on my previous postings, lazy academics should be kicked out and favoritism, cronism , nepotism and negligence and ignorance should not be practised or entertained. 5. "The student is as good as his/her lecturer" This is minor arguement because it reflects its true meaning at a high school situations not University. In UNi, you gotta work your guts out in school and after garduation and reap what you want, there is no spoon feeding at Unitech! [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Unitech situation messy Author: SB [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: Thu, Feb 28 2008, 06:48:02pm Richard, You do seem to know some things about the situation in Unitech but you obviously lack the indepth knowledge on how things run at unitech. Correction # 1. UDC was established in 1994 not 1980s as you said. It was establish by the university council realising the need to retain highly qualified academics who could not be paid higher salaries due to the devaluation and subsequent floatation of the PNG Kina. Expatriate lecturers were on salaries of K50,000 to K60,000 when the kina was on par with the US$. These packages became something like US$19,000.00 when the kina slumped. The university had to find a way to keep these people. The only way it could do that was to engage the academics in consultancy work. Hence the birth of UDC. The consultants got 80% of the fees and the 20% was split between the Dept, UDC and techincal staff who assisted in his work. This is a different arrangement to work organised through the university depts. Anyway, most of the consultancy work provided now by Unitech academics are Short Courses which do not reflect industry practices due to the presenter's own lack of industry experienance. Correction # 2 Remuneration packages for the Unitech academics are quite high compared to other government run agencies. A Senior lecture is normally on Salary ranges of K40,000 to K55,000 On top of this they are paid ATA at 30% and provided high cost housing. This sort of salary is quite high for the amount of work they do. Now let's be clear, if they were the experts that they are supposed to be, PNG industries would be paying them fees worthy of consultants. Not many PNG industries goes to them due to their technical incompetencies. A BEEE (Power) lecture may know the difference between a sychronus motor and a induction motor in theory but I guarantee you, 9/10 he would not tell the difference when installed in real application. Correction 3 During my short stint at the university I had 2 opportunities to travel abroad to present papers at conferences. With exception to the Bio Deisel project, many of the academics did not write any papers to contribute to journals or other technical articles. You stand to be corrected again, funds are allocated yearly under departmental budgets for academics to present papers at conferences. You ask most of the academics down there, not many would have asked to go because they wouldn't have written a paper anyway. The avenues are there, they just don't make use of them. Correction # 4. A university student is like a V8 racing car burning to go, he/she needs a good driver to charge through. The student's need to be given the right sort of mentoring at uni. They just don't know things unless they are thought, now lectures who do not know applications in industry just don't have the right attitude towards teaching. In the company that I work, we employed the best student in the class of that year and when the person came through, we had to spend hours teaching him things that should have been very fresh in mind. When asked very simple things he just sat there bewildered. It's been a year now that he is slowly standing on his own. I'll leave it there for you to see why I think Unitech lectures are politicians not academics. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]