The Independent (Freetown)
5 October 2007
Freetown — Students of Fourah Bay College have protested the high fees and deplorable conditions in the college.
A group in the College called "The Liberals' on behalf of their colleagues has protested to the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone Professor Redwood Sawyer. Students unionism was banned last year which has incapacitated the students in having proper and effective means of channeling their grievances and articulating their interests. This apparently caused The Liberals to take the issue on behalf of their colleagues.
The students have called for a review of registration fees, tuition fees, computer fees, cost of ID cards and fees they pay for what is called "faculty development, which the students say is not used for any feasible project. All the fees and charges have been increased which has made the situation in the college unbearable.
"Furthermore, the payment of compulsory computer fees as condition for resgistration has also ignited attention especially when the same issue of computer fees sparked up a serious row between the administration and the students last semester", says Alhaji Abu Komeh of The Liberals . In their protest letter to the administration the students have called on the college administration to refund fees paid by students who are on government bursaries.. They also point at the inadequacies characterising the College. "Over the years, students have been paying willingly for development, but it is crystal clear that there are no monuments to show that we have been getting its worth especially in the past three years", they state in their protest letter.
They also point out that for the past two academic years, the administration has made over 300% increase in accommodation charges.
"We cannot overemphasise the deplorable condition of dormitories, inadequate water supply and poor sanitory conditions. Sudying at night is difficult as lack of electricity continues to make FBC the darkest college on earth and the most lucrative for candle sales".
The students have called for an indisriminate accommodation to the hostels and for refunds of fees paid by students who were offered bursaries but did not get accommodation. The students say the refunds have accumilated over the past couple of years.
The students beleive that the continued deterioration of the College was as a result of the banning of the students union a year ago..
Negotiations took place and there were promises of allowing the resumption of of union activities but it never materialised. "We are hopeful that the administration will not flout its own side of the agreemnt to conduct the student union election after registration..." The issues raised have created tension in the College as students have returned from holidays but have been faced with many constraints.
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