Gov’t delegation to visit Bahr el Ghazal University after students protest

A government delegation from the national ministry of higher education and groups of legislators and security personnel will to travel to the University of Bahr el-Ghazal, Wau, for an assessment visit.

The visit comes after the administration closed the university after the students protested fee hikes.

According to the students, the tuition fees for medicine students have been increased from SSP 50,000 to SSP 175,000 and SSP 25,000 for development fees totalling to SSP 200,000 per semester.

Speaking to The City Review yesterday, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance for the University, Prof. Hawa Marjan, said they were expecting the delegation from Juba to come and talk to the students regarding the tuition fees.

However, she said the university will not be reopened unless the stalemate on fees is addressed.

“Lectures will not resume soon, for the reason that there are things to be put in place,” she said.

Prof. Hawa stated that the registration of the students will have to take place first followed by the marking of the supplementary examinations and the issue of tuition fees.

“This one will start with the registration of the students that was stopped, and then the students will have to pay their tuition fee so that we are able to provide services to them,” Prof. Hawa.

She added that the exams need to be marked and the results submitted to the board to decide when to release after discussion.

“The University is still closed but there is a delegation coming from Juba to talk to the students, to have meetings with the administrations and then we see what happens,” Hawa said.

She said some lecturers have not gone back to the office due to threats from the students.