UNRE courses are of high quality - Acting PVC (Academic)

THE Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic and Research of PNG UNRE has assured students that the courses they have chosen to study at the University are internationally recognised and of high quality.

Mr Aisi Anas said this last week in a night session with Year 1 students.

He said the University has followed a robust system to ensure that all courses offered are accredited with international input. 

He said national institutions like National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) and Cocoa Board have also been involved. 

“Therefore, I want to assure you that the courses you’re getting are of high quality,” said Mr Anas.  

He told students that UNRE has a Quality Assurance System in place which ensures that new courses must go through the University’s Academic Board for approval and then to the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST) for external accreditation. With the DHERST accreditation, scholarships can be offered to students.

Giving an example, he explained that the two new programs at the School of Environment and Climate Change (SECC) - Environment and Climate Change and Renewable Energy and Environmental Engineering are yet to be accredited by DHERST. This is why students studying these programs have not been granted scholarships. 

Mr Anas assured students that they are still receiving quality because universities are self-accrediting institutions so when a course is developed, the Academic Board has the power to sanction and allow it to be taught to students.  

He assured SECC students that scholarships will be given when the courses are certified by DHERST.

Mr Anas also told students that they will also be given the opportunity to provide honest feedback on the course taught. 

“When you are given the chance to review the course, you don’t review this on a Facebook page. You review through a system. Then your comments will be recognised,” he said. 

He added that academics delivering these courses are also assessed by Heads of Departments or Professors to ensure that they know what they are teaching. 

“We make sure that our staff are qualified,” he said.

Mr Anas said all Heads of Department are required to set targets for each academic staff and this contributes towards the staff appraisal. 

“At the end of the year, I as the HOD will ask my staff if he or she has achieved the target and at what percentage,” he said.

“This is our QA system for teaching so I hope you are happy that you are not coming to a place where people will copy from textbooks and teach you. It must come from some of the research they are doing.”

He also took the time to explain to students that there are rules governing an institution for both students and staff such as the University Bylaws and Academic rules and regulations handbook. 

Mr Anas also cautioned them against plagiarism which he said is actually stealing.

Students at the night session last week.