NUGS opposes new fees announced by University of Ghana

Accra, June 18, GNA - The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has begun a process aimed at reaching a consensus on the proposed registration fees for students of the University of Ghana, Legon.

For a start, it is liaising with the university's Students' Representative Council (SRC) on the issue, NUGS sources indicated on Friday.

The Legon SRC has scheduled a forum to discuss the issue and gather the views of students on the proposed fees.

Although members of the National Executive Committee of NUGS declined to officially comment on their line of action when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) contacted the secretariat, pronouncements from the office showed that the students body would oppose any astronomical increases in fees.

The National Executive of NUGS has not yet met on the issue but the sources said the union was doing its homework and would state its position as soon as possible.

The sources said the students would resist any attempt by any authority to make high education the preserve of the rich.

An official notice pasted on the halls of the University of Ghana shows that the authorities have increased registration fees by at least 600 per cent.

Fresh science students entering the university the 1999/2000 academic year are to pay 900,000 cedis as registration fee as compared to last year's 166,500 cedis.

The notice said students opting for humanities would pay 800,000 cedis as against 136,500 while post-graduate students are expected to pay between 2.4 million cedis and 2.7 million cedis from the previous 166,500 cedis.

Fresh students are also to pay residential facilities user fee of 250,000 while non-residential students are to pay an attachment fee of 50,000 cedis.