South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has directed Juba University’s Vice-Chancellor, John Akec to suspend fee increment.
This comes weeks after the administration of the University of Juba issued a circular informing students of the tuition fee rise.
The move caused uproar among the students, amid claims some students cannot afford to pay the high fees. On March 12, students staged a peaceful protest against skyrocking fee which now requires them to pay between 50,000 SSP and 85,000 SSP annually.
However, the information minister, Michael Makuei Lueth said university’s circular came when the president was on a visit to the Vatican.
“The minister of higher education presented a report on what has been happening at the University of Juba. The reports indicate that there are a lot of irregularities. Upon arrival of his Excellency the president to Juba after his Bahr el Ghazal tour, H.E Salva Kiir wrote a letter to the Vice-Chancellor directing him to suspend whatever fees he levied or he want to be paid by the students until further directives or other issues are addressed,” Makuei said on Friday.
“If this message has not been passed, people and students of Juba University should be informed that the president has ordered the Vice-Chancellor to suspend fee increment and that whatever payment to be made should be the same,” he added.
Makuei said President Kiir suspended the tuition fee increment in order to accommodate all students from different economic disparities.
“In so doing, you will be depriving majority of South Sudanese from accessing high learning institutions due to high tuition fees,” he said.