Some students of the Ghana Institute of Jornalism are threatening to hold protests if management fails to retract a new directive that requires them to pay a penalty of GHC50 each day they miss the registration deadline.
Management of the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Tuesday introduced a new directive to ensure that students who fail to register within a stipulated period after school reopens, do so at their own peril.
Aside an original penalty of GHC150 taken for late registration, continuing students henceforth are expected to pay an extra amount of) of Fifty Ghana Cedis (GHC50.00) will be charged each day a student misses the registration deadline.
The new directive which took effect Tuesday, September 17 and is expected to last till September 30, 2019 when registration officially is closed.
Students who believe the move is unfair to them want management to reconsider their decision and retract.
The news came as a surprise to students who say they are already struggling to pay their fees.
They consider management’s decision as harsh and untimely.
Ghanaweb visited the schools campus at Ringway Estate to engage some students on the new development.
“Even the actual amount, we aren’t able to pay on time, then you keep on pilling monies (GHC50.00 every day) it is quite cumbersome. I will plead with Management to reduce it, put an end to that information. It is not the best, students are not workers….we depend on our parents and if they are not paid they can’t give us the money…we students have to protest against it”, a frustrated student said.
“You keep adding GHC50.00, how are they going to manage….it is a lot of money for students, they are just regular students. That decision shouldn’t have been made in the first place”
“Something should be done about it, the GHC150.00 penalty is already one that we have been complaining about and this directive is only going to make the situation worst", said another.
A student who was obviously unhappy said, "At least they should maintain the GHC150.00 and look for more practicable ways to be able to let students pay for the fees but for this directive, I don’t think it’s a step in the right direction”.
“In times like this it is difficult getting money…. I think that GHC50. 00 a day should be taken away and the GHC150 should be there”
General Secretary for GIJ SRC, Patrick Nambe confirmed that the Student Representative Council has been receiving distress calls from students with regards to the new directive which took effect on September 17.
He however assured students that the SRC was in talks with management to possibly reconsider their new directive.
“Through the intervention of the SRC, there has been an extension of the deadline for registration of students….if the SRC was able to push Management to extend the registration deadline, I believe we can also push for them to reverse the GHC50.00".
" We are not in support of the GHC50.00 that is accrued after the penalty deadline, I believe that with the engagement that we have started having with management, something fruitful will come... they are trying to take us for granted, the SRC will look at a measure we can take afterwards. We do not support this directive at all” he said.
The notice also required that all freshmen who were admitted this semester should complete registration before Friday, September 20, 2019 in other to be considered as students of the University.
Meanwhile, efforts to get management to comment on the issue proved futile, however Ghanaweb will keenly follow the issue to find out the outcome of the SRC’s meeting with management of the Institute.
