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NEWS and REPORTS => Nigerian News => Topic started by: DT on Apr 05, 2012, 03:00 PM

Title: UniAbuja students take protest to ministry of Education
Post by: DT on Apr 05, 2012, 03:00 PM
(http://dailytrust.com.ng/images/stories/food/uniabuja%20students%20outside%20fme%20050412.jpg)

Some of the students outside the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja

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Protesting students of the University of Abuja have selected about 20 from their fold to dialogue with the Minister of Education on their demands.

The students had this morning stormed the headquarters of the ministry and refused to accept the explanations of the minister on why their courses were suspended on Tuesday. They had also refused to send a negotiating team, standing their ground that the minister must reverse her decision.

The selected representatives were charged not to go beyond the two demands made by the students of the minister. The students gave them one hour to carry out the dialogue and warned them against compromising their position.

Students  affected by the suspension of courses in four departments of the  University of Abuja - Medicine, Veterinary medicine, Engineering and Agriculture - took their protests today to the office  of the minister of Education after their school was shut down yesterday evening following a protest around the vicinity of the school's permanent site.

The protesting students are asking that they should be allowed to complete their courses and graduate from the University of Abuja. They have been hanging around the premises of the Federal Ministry of Education since morning.

(http://dailytrust.com.ng/images/stories/food/uniabuja%20students%20praying.jpg)

Some of the students praying during the protest

Their demands are that the minister should reverse her earlier  pronouncement and ensure the provision of necessary equipment required  for accreditation.

The minister had replied them earlier in the day that the decision was in their interest and that there were no immediate solutions for them to graduate.

She said that even if the facilities were provided, it would take at least two years for them to graduate.

Also, she told them, accreditation does not fall in the jurisdiction of the National  Universities Commission alone because there are also other regulatory  bodies who have also stamped their disapproval on the programmes.

The students however refused the proposal. Her offer of a dialogue with representatives of the students in her office was initially rebuffed by the students.

The students had on Wednesday halted the flow of traffic along the Umaru Musa Yar'adua Expressway for over two hours while protesting the suspension. This led the school authorities to order the immediate closure of the institution yesterday evening till further notice and instructed all students to vacate their hostels.

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