Following a massive protest by the students on Monday, the University of Calabar (UNICAL) has suspended the new school fees it had introduced earlier.
The suspension was announced by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, in a statement signed by the Registrar, Mr Gabriel Egbe, and released to the press on Monday.
The statement said that the management of the university had decided to adjust the school fees after an emergency meeting on December 1, but had to reconsider the decision in response to the students’ agitation. The statement also praised the students for their maturity, reasonableness and civility in resolving the matter.
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The statement added: “The management of this institution is a listening administration.
“We want to assure the students as critical stakeholders that appropriate arrangements have been put in place through constructive engagements with the students to resolve the matter.”
The new fees would have required freshers, returning students and final year students for non science courses to pay N111,000, N91,500 and N114,000, respectively.
Prior to the suspension, the average student paid N64,050 for first year, N52,050 for final year, and N49,500 for returnee, depending on the department.