DUET students protest for withdrawal of fee hike

Students of the Dawood University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) staged a demonstration outside their varsity’s main entrance on Thursday, demanding hostel facilities and withdrawal of a recent fee hike.

Later, the students also staged a sit-in and chanted slogans against the university administration. However, police and paramilitary soldiers arrived at the scene after a while and dispersed the protesters.

A number of protesters told The News that recently the varsity had raised fees while enough space where a hostel facility could be provided was under the use of the paramilitary force. Whenever students raised their voice for their legitimate rights, the university administration used police against them, they complained.

The students demanded that the DUET administration should provide extra transportation points for their convenience, and that nonfunctional labs should be activated immediately.

A student said the outstation students had no accommodation on campus although the varsity administration had promised them that they would be provided with accommodation in the varsity hostel. “The outstation students are residing in various parts of the city. Due to the unavailability of transport on several routes, they hardly reach the varsity for attending their classes. And sometimes students miss classes. Therefore, the varsity management should provide them with a hostel facility that is already available.”

Protesting students said that if the administration did not fulfil their demands, they would stage a hunger strike. DUET spokesperson Muhammad Kashif said the varsity had not increased the fee structure while there was no space on campus where the outstation students could be accommodated. The space where the paramilitary force resided was part of the varsity, but it was not a hostel facility, and the law enforcers had been there when the DUET was functioning as a college. “This part was never a student hostel,” he repeated.

Kashif said the vice-chancellor was ready to listen to the protesting students, but they staged the demonstration without informing the university administration. He said all the labs were functional.