Pacific / Papua New Guinea

PNG students continue boycott

13:10 pm on 6 June 2016

Students at the University of Papua New Guinea have now been protesting for more than a month. Photo: UPNG4PNG

Students at the University of Papua New Guinea have decided to continue their boycott of classes despite calls from the university administration for some classes to resume today.

The students protests, which began on May 2, are calling on the Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, to step down and face corruption allegations.

Last week, the university said classes at the school of medicine and health sciences would recommence today while classes at the Waigani campus were to begin next Tuesday.

But a student leader, Gerald Turumanu-Peni, says the students' representative council met with medical students last night and it was agreed that boycotts would continue.

Mr Turumanu-Peni, who was at the medical campus this morning, says classes are empty and everyone is attending a public forum.

"We had a meeting with them and the outcome was that we will still not attend class. We will not attend class although it may have whatever ramifications, academic ramifications against us. We believe that what we are doing is for the good of this nation [and] that is why we can put our education on the line."

A student leader at the University of PNG Gerald Turumanu-Peni.

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