Increase in fees too much too soon

ALTHOUGH classes at Unitech have resumed and everything is supposedly “back to normal”, I believe most students felt that they have been robbed.
The following are my reasons:
*Throughout the three weeks of boycotting lessons, the SRC had been continuously misleading the student body by making independent decisions that were not to the liking of the majority of the student body. They were never physically present during student forums (except for the first week before the strike gained momentum) and although SRC elections are a month overdue, the schools administration has done nothing to facilitate the elections. Is the SRC being pressurised by the administration?
*The administration failed to address how students would be able to continue classes and make up for the three weeks lost until student leaders decided to seek legal advice and dissolve the SRC. This is the reason why the strike continued into its third week. It was also at this time that the SRC, after a two-week absence, decided to step in and tell students to work things out themselves with their respective HODs. Isn’t that the SRC’s job?
*The boycott was peaceful (the fighting in school was between student groups and not related to the strike issue). As such, I found it hard to understand why the police were at the campus in addition to the Uni-Force and Kuima security guards. As if the eight squad cars were not enough, five more squad cars from Goroka and Kerowagi were called in. Are we students violent criminals?
*Since Unitech is the country’s foremost technical institution, the Government paid very little attention despite the obvious signs that there is something very wrong – two major strikes that threatened the academic year, not to mention the institution’s accumulating debts to its service providers. The least it could have done was order an investigation. Doesn’t the Government care?
*To top it all off, the university will increase the fees for successive years until the 20% increase is reached. How will students be able to pay? Is education a right in this country or a privilege?
Many people are unaware of the reasons for the strike. In 2004, there was a massive 24% increase in the fees. However, students have seen no improvement whatsoever to the university. The roads still have huge potholes, lecturers’ houses are falling apart, the students’ computer mainframe is still having problems, the school has no printers for students, the library books are ancient, the school has huge debts and the list goes on.
The improvement students see are new additions to the VIP car pool. So what is the justification for the proposed 20% increase?
All students agreed that a 20% increase is just too much too soon (a total of 43% in just three years). Since students are made to pay 75% of their fees before registration, and the institution is subsidised by the Government, why is it in financial difficulties?
Misappropriation of funds, perhaps? If that is so, the students should not be made to foot the bill for someone’s greed.

Defiant observer
Lae