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UNICAL bows to pressure, suspends planned fee increase after students’ protest

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar, UNICAL, Florence Obi, has requested that the institution’s increased fees be suspended until further notice.


The decision was contained in a statement issued by the university’s Registrar, Gabriel Egbe, and made available to media on Monday.


After an emergency meeting on December 1st, the institution’s management agreed an increase in school fees.


The students reacted to the announcement on Monday by staging a large protest that halted academic and other activity at the university.


In the statement, the vice-chancellor disclosed that the directive to put the new charges on hold was in reaction to the protest.


The statement read in part: “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 management, however, commends the students for the mature, reasonable and civilised manner exhibited towards resolving the matter.


NAN reports that the new charges meant that freshers, returning students and final-year students for non-science courses were to pay N111,000, N91,500 and N114,000, respectively.


They were also to pay N36,500, N21,500 and N21,500, respectively, as third-party dues.


Similarly, charges for the science courses were increased to N155,000, N125,000 and N148,000, respectively, for freshers, returning students and final-year students.


This category of students was also to pay N38,500, N21,500 and N21,500, respectively, as third-party dues.


Before the adjustment, an average student, depending on the department, paid N64,050 as a fresher, N52,050 as a final year and N49,500 as returning students.


 

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