• Classes remain suspended due to protest on Thursday
• Many students say they are unable to pay high fees due to financial difficulties

KARACHI: Classes remained largely suspended and administrative offices shut at the University of Karachi as the students’ protest, against semester fee hike and “phenomenal” rise in late fee among other issues, continued on Thursday.

Although a committee was formed by the vice chancellor to address the issue of late fee, against which the students are mainly protesting, the same was rejected by the Students Alliance, which said that they would continue their protest and the strike will continue on the campus.

At the same time, the university has also decided to implement the policy that defaulter students would not be allowed to sit exam.

Meanwhile, a press release issued by the Karachi University Teachers Society said all issues of the protesting students should be resolved through negotiation only and no violence should take place.

On Thursday, the protesting students gathered outside the admin block and held demonstration which continued until 8pm.

They chanted slogans against the university administration and demanded end to the 50 per cent late fee among other issues including increase in semester fee and less number of point buses.

The students also had called for suspension of classes across the campus.

As a result, academic activities remained largely suspended while administration offices and canteens remained shut whereas operation of point buses also remained suspended.

Talking to Dawn, one of the students from the Centre of Excellence in Women’s Studies at the KU said: “My father and mother are no more and I’m living with my uncle. I have three semesters’ fee due on me which I’m unable to pay on time due to financial problems.”

“When I’m already struggling to pay my fee on time, it would now be almost impossible for me to pay it after this recent increase in semester fee and phenomenal late fee,” he added with a sad face.

Similarly, another student from among the protesters said he had not paid his fee due to financial difficulties.

Meanwhile, a notification issued by the university on Thursday said a three-member committee had been formed by the VC to recommend waiver of up to 40 per cent on late fee of students who would be found eligible. The students would be required to provide proof of their income and financial status for the waiver and after reviewing it, the committee will the decision.

However, the Students Alliance said they rejected the notification, saying it did not solve their actual demands. Therefore, they said they would continue the strike on Friday (today) as well.

Separately, officials of the university while talking to Dawn said that from 2020 to 2024, there were around 12,000 defaulter students who had yet to pay their fees of two to nine semesters. And that number excludes students of MPhil, PhD and Karachi University Business School. Furthermore, Rs1,400 million was due in semester fees of students, they added.

They said there were no grants from HEC-Islamabad due to which the financial conditions were not good and that the university is trying to resolve other issues as well but that would take time.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2024