Education

Poly Students Protest N5,000 Examination Fee, Boycott Exams

ByKazeem Badmus

PublishedApril 17, 2024

Students of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, in Anambra State, on Wednesday, staged a protest in condemnation of the compulsory N5,000 examination fee imposed on them by the school management.

Carrying different placards with inscriptions such as “Reduce the cost of text books”, “Allow us to do our medical and data capture,” “Say no to corrupt stakeholders,” “Say no to exam fees”, “breakdown our tuition fees,” among others, the protesters also frowned at the management’s move to stop those who have not paid the fee from sitting for their exams.

They protested from the school’s main gate to the institution’s administrative building, departments, the permanent site, down to the popular school tower, singing solidarity songs.

The Secretary General, National Association of Nigeria Students, South East Zone, Comrade Cynthia Felix, while addressing the students, appealed for calm and expressed her resolve to make sure the students are not fleeced in any way.

She stated that the examination fee was unlawful, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the memo that introduced the fee and that all students should be allowed to sit their examinations.

The school management, according to the Vice President, National Association of Polytechnic Students, South East, Chukwuebuka Umezula, on April 9, 2024, released a memo informing students to pay an examination fee of N5,000 on or before April 12 before the commencement of the examination.

He questioned the rationale behind the examination fee after students had paid tuition fees.

Umezula maintained that students will continue the protest and boycott all examinations in the school until the management rescinds its decision.

He said they had laboured to pay tuition, medical, and ICT fees and expressed shock over the new examination fee.

He said the National Association of Polytechnic Students had written the school management over the memo but it fell on deaf ears.

The Acting Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr Chijioke Ibeziako, while responding, said the management was looking into the issue and would resolve it internally.