By CHARLES IWUOHA

The save Public Education Campaign (SPEC) has thrown their weight behind the Tuesday’s protest of the students of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture (MOUAU), Umudike Abia State over hike in school fees.

The group also condemned in totality the “no pay-no exam” policy of the institution and demanded the immediate reversal of the hike in school fees.

A statement signed by the secretary of SPEC, Damilola Owot, called on the staff unions and concern members of the public to join in solidarity with MOUAU students.

“We support the protest of the students of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. We condemn the “no pay-no exam” policy of the institution. We demand a total reversal of the hike in school fees and functional education accessible to all!

“The Save Public Education Campaign (SPEC) supports in totality the protest action embarked upon on Tuesday, 6^thFebruary 2024, by the students of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) Abia State, who were being denied access to write the first-semester examination because they are yet to balance up the school fees.

“We can recall that the school fees of MOUAU were recently increased to over N160,000 and despite the plea of the students, the management adamantly refused to allow the payment of school fees in 2 instalments. Now, this same university management has imposed the “no pay-no exam” policy, thereby denying thousands of struggling students access to the examination.

“We consider this act as insensitive, brutal, inhumane, unethical, and unacceptable. Hence, we call on the university management to immediately rescind this policy and allow students to sit for the exam. Similarly, we call for a total reversal of the school fee in light of the economic realities of the country. Being a Federal University, we expect the Tinubu-led FG to take up the task of adequately funding the institution and ensure that everyone has access to quality education regardless of their class, race or background.

“Hence, we salute the resolution of the MOUAU students who organized themselves in a protest to resist the anti-student policies of the institution. We call for steadfastness until the goals of the protest are achieved.

“More so, we call on the students. It is to limit the protest to a mere “payment of school fees in instalments” but to demand a total reversal of the hiked fee. Also, students should demand a democratic running of MOUAU and a public audit of the university account.

“Similarly, we call on the staff unions of MOUAU, Umudike community, and concerned members of the public to join in solidarity with the MOUAU students. A general nationwide protest of the students is long overdue! Hence, we charge the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to immediately declare a nationwide lecture boycott and mass protest to reject the students’ loan scheme and demand academic grants instead of loans, reversal of all hiked fees, payment of backlog of salaries of academic workers, improved funding of education, and democratization of the public education sector.

“When serious struggles like this break out, we of SPEC will be at the forefront of campaigning for a free, quality, publicly funded and democratized education sector. Until then, we will continue to support the mass of the students, staff and unions fighting for their rights and freedoms.”