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PNG UNITECH supports female students with new dormitory

The Papua New Guinea–Australia Partnership will provide greater access to technical education for women and girls through the provision of a new dormitory at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (Unitech).

The PGK15 million grant from the Incentive Fund will provide 100 new beds for female students across a range of academic areas.

“This project is an important step towards PNG achieving our vision of becoming a modern, self-sufficient country, by improving access to high quality accredited technical education for all students, both men and women,” said Vice-Chancellor of Unitech, Dr Ora Renagi, at the ground-breaking ceremony for the project.

The PNG University of Technology is one of PNG’s leading universities, providing education across a range of disciplines including science, architecture, business studies, engineering, and mathematics.

There are currently 692 female students enrolled this year, more than a 100 of whom are currently being housed off-campus due to a lack of beds.

At the event, Australian High Commission Infrastructure Counsellor Simon King noted that “a qualified, well-trained and practically skilled workforce is essential in today’s modern world, and both men and women should be able to participate equally in these sectors”.

The PNG-Australia Partnership is pleased to support women and girls access previously male-dominated academic streams, to help increase their employment opportunities domestically and internationally,” said Mr King.

By providing safe and secure accommodation, the University will be able to meet the demand for bed space for its increasing female student intake, thus increasing the number of women entering the workforce with tertiary qualifications.

 

“We want to see more women graduating from technical disciplines, so that they can pursue employment in highly specialised technical fields,” said Dr Renagi. 

Unitech students and graduates were heavily involved in the recently opened ANGAU Memorial Hospital Redevelopment project.

With further Australian commitments in Lae, such as the redevelopment of the Lae Tidal Basin, there will be increasing demand for women and men from relevant technical fields to support the delivery of those projects.

The new dormitory is expected to be completed in December 2023, in time for occupancy at the beginning of the school year in 2024.

The PNG-Australia Partnership has provided around PGK70 million under the current phase of the Incentive Fund, aimed at increasing and improving access to education across the country.