Kokopo Business College (KBC) in East New Britain (ENB) Province forcefully removed male students from the dormitories and onto the streets after a spate of school disturbances on Monday.
What makes this matter particularly worse is that, while police brutality against male students is alleged to have happened, female students were also reportedly kicked out in the heat of the moment.
While this seems terrible, the school principal to Post Courier yesterday that the action was an extreme reaction to an extremely disturbing actions that were carried out by students with the past week.
College principal John Karis used the police and Guard Dog security to move into the school’s boys dormitory at midday on Monday and forced male students, mostly self sponsored, out of the school’s boarding area and onto the streets with their luggage.
Mr Karis labelled the exercise as “a move to save school property”, especially dormitories and lives, citing that the students brought it on themselves following post-exam continuous drinking, loud noise from music, drunken dancing and the burning of beds, the tearing of the interior walls and ripping of cupboards, doors and windows of the dormitories.
Education is a right but the dormitory is not a right. It is a privilege and as self sponsored students boarding is not your right.
Mr John Karis, Kokopo Business College Principal
He said the school has the right to look after students under the HECAS program while those under self-sponsorship were immediately sent off the campus.
I feel sorry for them but the property of the school belongs to the people of PNG and I must protect the buildings.
Mr Karis, when asked about the displaced students.
Meanwhile, the students claimed that there was no written warning from the school advising them of such action stating that certain policemen even punched some students, verbally abusing them and forcing them to pack up and leave the school area.
They also claimed that they were victims of the attitude of fellow students under the HECAS program who were leaving early and celebrated under the influence of alcohol before damaging the school property leaving them to take the blame.
We were surprised when police approached us and told us to pack our belongings and immediately leave the dormitory.
There were about 50 to 60 of us, male students who were forced out of the campus.
Josh Bobai, second year student told Post Courier.
A female student who did not want to be named corroborated the male students’ accounts stating that police approached female students ordering them to vacate the girls’ dormitory.
It was around midday when police approached us. I argued with the policeman telling him that were are students from outside provinces and that we had nowhere to go.
He threatened to forcefully move us if we did not listen to orders. So we moved out but later the school administration called us back in.
There was no notice advising us to leave the school so that we could prepare and leave.
Unnamed female student
Mr Karis, however, waved off the male students’ accounts saying that these were lies.
The students stated that the school have advised the final year students that graduation was set for November 19, 2021.
Due to this set date, many had booked home journey arrangements after this date and were now in a position where they had nowhere to go.
However, Mr Karis said he did advise the students on November 10, 2021 that the graduation was deferred to next year as diploma awards came from Port Moresby and the school did not have them ready in time for graduation.