Auchi Polytecnic students protest ‘No school fees: No exam’ policy (See Photos)

All hell broke loose on Thursday at the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State, when the students of the School of Part-time Studies engineered a protest against the school management on its policy of "No school fees: No Exam.''

It was gathered that the protest began when some of the part-time students who were yet to pay their fees were not allowed to write the first semester examination. 

The action of the management angered the students. and a protest began.

The protest which started out as a peaceful one became violent hours later.

Although no life ha been lost but many feared dead while others were injured, it was also learnt that at least fifty vehicles and building destroyed so far while several  properties belonging to the institution and the Auchi community at large were reportedly destroyed as well during the violent protest. 

“We are protesting because the school’s management prevented us from writing our first semester examination because we have not paid our school fees. 

The school’s management is not fair to us and we want the decision reversed,” on of the affected student said.

The Public Relations Officer, Mr.  Mustapher Oshiobugie, explained that the policy of the institution was for students to pay their school fees before writing their examinations.

He said, “The management’s position is that if they (students) must write their exams, they must pay their fees and be registered as students. So, those who didn’t pay their fees and didn’t register are the ones trying to ensure that the exams did not hold. They went on to vandalise properties.”

The exams have been postponed till Monday,” the school’s PRO Mr Oshiobugie said