Academic activities at the University of Jos in Plateau State was grinded to a halt yesterday, following students protest against the increase in their school fees.
The protest which disrupted the free flow of traffic on the ever busy Jos-Bauchi roads, saw placard-carrying students, as early as 8am, take over the main gate of the Bauchi Road campus of the university, condemning the increase and demanding a reversal.
Some of the placards read, ‘Daylight rape’, ‘our parents are government workers and have not been paid’, ‘many parents cannot afford the increase’, among others.
According to a statement posted on the university’s website, tuition and accomodation fees respectively, witnessed over a 100% increase. Tuition which was originally N12, 000 was increased to N27, 500, while accommodation fee increased from N4, 500 to N12, 500.Acting President of the Student Union Government, of the institution, Miss Nanlop Maya, who led the protest, said the increase amounted to “commercialisation of education and a demonstration of ‘the insensitivity of the school management to their plight.”
Maya who disclosed that efforts to meet with management to discuss the matter were rebuffed, said, “I led a delegation of the students union body to negotiate with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) over the increment but we were denied audience. To my surprise, he said a mere student cannot interact with him.”
Registrar of the university, Mr. Jilli Dandam, who addressed the students, promised to take their grievances to the management.
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