Students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) took to the streets on Monday to protest against the recent increase in their tuition fees by the institution’s management.
The students, who were unhappy with the new fees, blocked the major roads leading to the university campus, causing traffic jams and inconvenience to the public.
UNICAL students carried placards with various inscriptions, such as “No to fee hikes,” “We are not ATMs,” “Education is a right, not a privilege,” and “UNICAL management, reverse the fees or resign.”
The students said they were protesting against the “unfair and unreasonable” fee hike, which they said was a “deliberate attempt” to deny them access to quality education.
They said the new fees were too high and unrealistic, especially in the face of the economic challenges and inflation in the country.
The management of the university announced, as reported by Parallel Facts, the fee hike in a statement on Monday, saying it was a result of the current economic realities and the need to maintain the academic standard for which the university was known.
The statement, signed by the institution’s spokesman, Effiong Eyo, said the decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the university’s senate on Friday.
The statement said the new fees varied depending on the course of study and the level of the student. For non-science courses, freshmen would pay N111,000, returning students would pay N91,500, and final-year students would pay N114,000. In addition, they would also pay N36,500, N21,500, and N21,500, respectively, as third-party dues.
For science courses, freshmen would pay N155,000, returning students would pay N125,000, and final-year students would pay N148,000. Similarly, they would also pay N38,500, N21,500, and N21,500, respectively, as third-party dues.
Before the increment, tuition fees for an average student, depending on the department, were N64,050 for freshmen, N52,050 for final-year students, and N49,500 for returning students.
The statement appealed to UNICAL students and parents to cooperate with the management and pay the fees promptly to avoid any disruption in the academic activities of the university.
The spokesman of the university, Effiong Eyo, could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing this report.