Students at Torit Health Science Institute in Eastern Equatoria State on Monday went on an open-ended strike due to a hike in tuition fees of up to 160,000 SSP.
This is the second strike staged by students this year. In May, the students held demonstrations in Torit, demanding the removal of the institute’s principal.
A student who preferred anonymity told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that they had gone on strike over hiked fees, saying each government-sponsored student is required to pay 160,000 SSP starting next semester.
“Students are complaining that there has been an increase in tuition fees in the middle or at the end of the academic year. A government-sponsored student is supposed to pay 30,000 SSP, but other requirements have increased the money to 163,000 SSP in the first semester, and for the second semester, students pay 111,000 SSP, “he explained.
Meanwhile, Ochan Denis, the Academic Registrar at Torit Health Science Institute, described the strike as unfortunate, calling on the students to resolve the matter amicably.
“The strike will affect the whole academic year; the students are almost to sit for their exams. So with this incident, I think it will affect them. There are so many ways how the issue can be handled. If the issue had already been raised by the students’ representative to the government institutions, they would have waited until the issue is resolved instead of going on strike,” he said.
For his part, the institute’s principal Isaac Nimeri John said the increment in tuition fees was endorsed by the relevant authorities in the Ministry of Health and not the institute’s administration.
“The tuition fees were endorsed by the relevant authorities, it is not the principal endorsing the tuition fees, and the circular was also given to them,” he said.
The Torit Health Science Institute is a government-owned health training school established in Eastern Equatoria State in 2015.