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By Madu Obi
Hundreds of students of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko in Anambra state have staged a protest against alleged imposition of compulsory N5000 examination fees on them by the school management.
The students said they decided to embark on the protest following the insistence of the school management not to allow those who refuse to pay the fees access to examination halls.
They carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Reduce the cost of texts books”;
“Allow us to do our medical and data capture”; “Say no to corrupt stakeholders”; “Say no to exam fees”; “Let us know breakdown of our tuition fees” , among others.
According to the students, there has been continuous increment and incessant imposition of fees, such as examination and ICT fees and forceful sale of handouts to them.
Addressing the students, the Secretary General, National Association Of Nigerian Students, South East Zone, Comrade Cynthia Felix appealed for calm, saying she would ensure the students were not fleeced in any way.
She described the examination fees as unlawful and demanded for a fee schedule in order to know the need for the said fee.
She also kicked against alleged extortion in the school and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the memo that introduced the fee and that all students should be allowed to sit for their examinations.
Also speaking, the Vice President, National Association of Polytechnic Students, South East, Chukwuebuka Umezula recalled that the school management had on 9th of April, 2024, released a memo informing the students to pay an examination fees of N5000 on or before 12th April, 2024 before the commencement of the examination.
He frowned at the short notice, which also fell on a public holidays and wondered the reason for the fee after they had paid their tuition fees.
Umezula said they will continue the protest and boycott all examinations in the school until the management reverses the decision, adding that they had laboured, struggled and battled to pay tuition fees, medical fees, ICT fees, among others and expressed shock on the new fee.
He added that the National Association of Polytechnic Students has written the school management over the memo
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