Student protest turns chaotic in Mt Hagen

What began as a peaceful student protest at Holy Trinity Teachers College [HTTC] in Mt Hagen yesterday morning escalated into chaos following a confrontation with police.

The protest was staged by HTTC students demanding the resignation of the college administration. The students voiced their concerns following the suspension of their Student Representative Council [SRC] President, who they claim was penalised for raising issues related to student welfare.

Present at the scene were local police, members of the surrounding community, college staff, parents, and representatives from the Catholic Archdiocese of Mt Hagen, which oversees the institution. The Assistant Bishop represented the Archbishop during the protest.

The students submitted a three-point petition outlining their grievances:

Unfair Suspension of SRC President – The SRC President was reportedly suspended for raising concerns about the quality of meals provided at the college mess. Students argued he was exercising his role as their representative and that his suspension was unjustified and not formally communicated in writing.

TESAS Sponsorship Issues – Students claimed that several high-achieving students who qualified for government scholarships under the Tertiary Education Student Assistance Scheme (TESAS) had been overlooked. When students raised this issue with the administration, they say it was not escalated to the appropriate authorities. This led to halted student registration and ultimately contributed to the SRC President’s suspension.

Call for Administrative Resignation – The protesting students accused the current administration of incompetence and demanded it step down.

The petition also stated that classes would resume next week if their concerns were addressed.
Mt Hagen Police Station Commander, Chief Inspector Steven Philipo, addressed the students, saying the protest was technically illegal as police were only informed of the demonstration the day before. He emphasized that proper notice [at least three days] is required for approval of such gatherings.

Students responded by saying they had been staging a sit-in protest in front of the administration building for the past two weeks.

Tensions escalated quickly when students began throwing stones at police officers. In response, police discharged warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd.

Local community members intervened to calm the situation, which led to a dialogue between the college’s governing council, administration, SRC leaders, and police in an effort to reach an amicable resolution.

NBC News was present at the scene to obtain comments from the college principal; however, she was unavailable for comment.

Police are currently stationed on the college grounds to monitor the situation. No official reports of injuries or property damage have been confirmed at this stage.