Increase in BS fee protested

CHARSADDA: The students on Monday staged a protest against the exorbitant increase in the fees for the four-year Bachelor of Science (BS) programme and demanded the government to reverse the decision.

They were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the increase in fees and favour of their demands.The protesting students of Government Degree College, Tangi, gathered in front of the Charsadda Press Club and staged the protest. A student leader Kashif led the protesters.

The speakers said that the government had introduced a four-year bachelor programme in colleges which was consisted of eight semesters. They said that per semester fee was Rs11,000 which, they said, was not possible for the poor students to pay and continue their studies.

The speakers said that mostly children of poor families study at state-run educational institutions and their families cannot arrange and pay this amount.They said that on the one hand the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government made claims of providing free education but on the other it had increased the colleges fees which was akin to closing the doors of education on the poor students. They threatened to launch a protest campaign if their demands were not met.