By Jesse Ampah Owusu
Accra, Feb. 03, GNA – Some students of the University of Ghana (UG) Tuesday staged a street protest in Accra over fee increment and hall accommodation challenges at the University.
The students clad in red and black picketed at the Obra Spot, Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Accra, around 1000 hours before marching through some principal streets in Accra Central through to the Independence Square to register their displeasure with the University’s management.
The protest, dubbed “Ya Br3 Mo Demo”, had students holding placards with inscriptions on accommodation challenges on campus and alleged exorbitant increment of school fees.
Mr Eugene Boakye Jnr, leader of the demonstrators, told the Ghana News Agency that they were registering their displeasure over what he described as “unlawful” increment of fees.
He said the University’s fee increment was more than the 15 per cent of the increment agreed by Parliament, alleging they were charging 38 per cent increment.
He called on the leadership of the University to review the increment to be at par with that agreed by Parliament.
“Academic fees that were around GH₵1,700 last year have been increased astronomically to more than GH₵2, 000 this year,” he stated.
Mr Boakye Jnr also noted that hall accommodation fees that were around GH₵854 last year had been increased to GH₵1,500 this year.
He said the decision by the University authorities to not allow any continuing male student in the Commonwealth Hall or Mensah Sarbah to return to their halls was uncalled for.
He alleged that all continuing students of the halls had been reassigned to hostels charging more than GH₵4,000 against the GH₵854 they were paying at their halls of residence last year.
He called on the Ministry of Education to sanction the University over its activities, stressing that, they were preventing many students from continuing their education at the University.
“Due to these arbitrary activities, many students were not able to pay the exorbitant school and hostel fees. This has forced many of them to defer their courses this academic year,” he added.
At the Independence Square, officials from the Ministry of Education, including Mr Edward Fiawo, Head of Internal Audit, and Mr Kwasi Kwarteng, Spokesperson, were at the Square to receive the petition of the students on behalf of the Minister.
Mr Edward Fiawo, who received the petition, said it would be forwarded to the Minister of Education for redress.
GNA