Education

UNICAL suspends fee hike after students’ protest

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) in Cross River State, Prof. Florence Obi, has directed that the new fees introduced by the institution be put on hold until further notice.

The directive was contained in a statement issued by the UNICAL Registrar, Gabriel Egbe, a copy of which was made available to newsmen on Monday, December 4, 2023.

The management of the institution had approved an adjustment in school fees after its emergency meeting on December 1.

The students reacted to the development on Monday as they embarked on a protest that brought academic and official activities at the university to a halt.

In the statement, Egbe 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.”

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

They were also to 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, was N64,050 for freshers, N52,050, for final year, and N49,500 for returning students.

The Star