Students of the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen Campus yesterday staged a protest against plans for a phased 35% tuition fee hike.
The protest was held outside the Education Lecture Theatre, where Vice-Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith and the University Council were meeting to address the proposed fee hike and other issues facing the institution.
The protestors, some with placards, chanted “35% no way,” as they voiced their concerns over the proposed increases.
Public Relations Officer for the University of Guyana Students’ Society (UGSS) Christina Basil said that there was little to no consultation from the university’s senior administration on the increase. “They were not properly communicating with us and thus we were put on the spot. We had our first meeting on March 18, where there was a proposed increase, but days ago he [Professor Griffith] met with the UGSS President Ron Glasgow and put 20% on the table and the UGSS President and team were able to get that down to 15% but we still recognised that this was a very high increase,” Basil said.