Students of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko in Anambra State have staged a protest against imposition of compulsory N5,000 examination fee on them by the school management.
They also kicked against the management’s move to stop those who have not paid the fee from sitting for their exams.
The protesting students on Wednesday carried different placards with 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 fee”, “breakdown our tuition fees”, among others.
The students numbering over 1,000 from different departments sang solidarity songs as they protested from the school main gate to the institution’s administrative building, departments, the permanent site, down to the popular school tower.
Addressing the students, the Secretary General, National Association of Nigeria Students, South East Zone, Comrade Cynthia Felix, appealed for calm and expressed her resolve to make sure the students are not fleeced in any way.
She stated that 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 Vice President, National Association of Polytechnic Students, South East, Chukwuebuka Umezula, said the school management 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 condemned the short notice that fell on a public holiday and questioned the rationale behind the examination fee after students had paid tuition fees.
According to Umezula, students will continue the protest and boycott all examinations in the school until the management rescind 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.
Some students, who spoke during the protest said their parents were struggling to pay their tuition fees and wondered the motive behind the imposition of more fees. They urged the Federal Ministry of Education to intervene.
Responding, the Acting Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr. Chijioke Ibeziako, said the management was looking into the issue and would resolve it internally.
