UoP students stage protest against fee hike

PESHAWAR: The students of the University of Peshawar on Monday staged a protest against the unbearable increase in the fee and other problems at the seat of learning.

The protest rally started from the Academic Block of the university. After passing through different routes, the protesters reached the Administration Block of the university, where they staged a protest demonstration.

The protesters held banners and placards inscribed with slogans seeking a reduction in the fee. They chanted slogans against the anti-education policies of the university administration. Speaking on the occasion, president, Islami Jamiat Talaba, Mohammad Asfandyar, said, on the one hand, the coronavirus pandemic and long vacations had badly affected education, while on the other, the university administration was closing doors of education for the poor students by increasing fees.

He said that the university administration recently increased the hostel fee by Rs 5,000, which, he termed, a cruel step and blatant violation of the decision of the university syndicate. The speaker said the university administration had earlier decided that only a one-time 10 per cent increase would be made in fees in four years. But the Provost Office through a recent notification had asked the students to deposit another Rs 5000 amount. He demanded the university administration to withdraw the notification forthwith as no facilities were provided to the students living in the hostels despite the heavy increase in fee.