Nigerian students demand justice
Mariam Kamish, Rhondda Cynon Taff Socialist Party
Nigerian students at the University of South Wales, Trefforest – and across the UK – face a stark funding gap. Thanks to the economic crisis in Nigeria, the money they had saved and borrowed back home, to pay their tuition fees here, has lost two thirds of its value in the last year.
The university is showing little sympathy. One student said: “If I can’t pay my fees, they say I’ll be cut off from IT resources and my online classes. And I’ve had a letter from the Home Office. They say if I’m not a student, they’ll deport me.”
The stress and lack of money has people unable to sleep, skimping on food, moving out of their housing to camp on friends’ floors. Reportedly, a number are sleeping in the library.
Socialist Students demands that the university:
- Agrees no exclusions for students who can’t pay
- Extends the payment period
- Allows students to pay at the old Naira rate of N584.20
It had been hard to generate interest in a fightback. Then, news came of the partial victory at the University of Surrey – and the mood rose. Socialist Students set up a campaign stall, and started taking names and publicising an organising meeting.
Within a few days, we’ve had a positive response from the student union, and interest from lecturers’ union UCU. On 3 May, we’ll be taking this campaign to the vice-chancellor’s office.
Socialist Students says a university should not be run like a business. Wherever you come from, join the fight to kick out the market, and bring back free education.
