Manuu students protest fee hike

STUDENTS of Manuu also staged a hungerstrike against ‘arbitrary’ increase in the semester fee.

Students of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (Manuu) students performed their Friday prayers in front of the administration building as a mark of protest over fee hike.

They said they would not move away from the place unless the ‘arbitrary fee hike’ mentioned in the prospectus was dropped. The prayers were followed by an indefinite hungerstrike by student union members who asked others to boycott classes. At tau ll ah Niazi, students union president, said, “There was a hike last year as well, but the problem keeps continuing and many students from the poor background suffer. Manuu is known for catering to the needs of underprivileged sections and it is unfortunate that quality education is not the aim and placement rates are low.”

Students alleged that the university shut off the WiFi connection to ensure that the protest did not make it to social media. However, officials denied the claim, and said the system was under repair. The service was restored immediately.

Abdullah Asim, union vice-president, said, “The fee hike is over `1,000 for a few courses as per semester, making it `2,000 annually.”

A university official said the hike was not inappropriate and the administration was willing to consider the students’ demands. “We have to consult all our stakeholders before we can take a decision. That is why we haven’t addressed the students yet,” the official added.