LAHORE: The Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) on Monday held a demonstration outside the Lahore Press Club to express solidarity with the students of the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad, protesting against hefty increase in fee.

Speakers said the government was increasing cost of education across the country which was akin to closing the doors to education for the students from poor classes. They deplored that the youth were paying millions in fee to get degrees but there was no government policy to give them jobs. They said instead of increasing fee, the government should make sure that the universities did not become breeding grounds for terrorists.

The demonstrators claimed the QAU students were being penalised for protesting the fee raise. They demanded that the students demands should be accepted and they should be given free hostel and bus services facilities.

PYA National Coordinator Zainul Abideen said: “Free education is basic right of every citizen and all students must fight to get this right from the ruling class”.

The QAU expelled, rusticated and penalized dozens of students for their part in on-campus clashes between two ethnic student groups in May. On Oct 4, the students launched a strike and blocked the main road leading to the QAU. The university is shut since the start of the strike.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2017