BY BETHANIE HARRIMAN EMTV LAE
Lae’s PNG University of Technology (Unitech) campus will be developed into a town centre that will cater for the growing population of the northern part of Lae city, and sustain itself as an institution.
The university has approached investors in various sectors to fund different development components according to their interests.
Unitech solely relies on government funding for its operations, its growth depends on how much money the government allocates annually, and this year, the university was asked by the National Executive Council to cut back on spending.
The PNG University of Technology’s administration is putting together a plan to develop available land on campus into a township that will have shops, banks and business activities that will generate revenue for Unitech’s long-term operations.
An Australian based company, Atlas Urban Design and Strategy, has drawn up the master plan for the university.
Director of the Sydney based company, Paul Walter, has worked on the plan for Unitech and he says the master plan is designed in a way that will suit interested organisations in all sectors.
"This is done in a way that it invites private business houses to invest in the university campus," said Walter.
The plan was presented on April 1 to key players in the private sector and also top ranking bureaucrats at a dinner hosted by Vice Chancellor, Dr. Albert Schram.
The aim now is to gather momentum behind the plan that will bring revenue to the university and help it develop, as well as sustain itself, into the future.