By Boris Esono in Buea
 |
| Striking PhD student brandishes his thesis in front of UB |
An act of resistance was in the early hours
of Thursday, July 6, witnessed at the faculty of Education as a PhD student
held the faculty hostage as he demanded equal right to be given to him as do
those who can see.
The
strike was caused by several unsuccessful attempts to defend his Ph.D. thesis
because he has not paid tuition fee which according to the striking party; he
is not supposed to do that as it is free for visually impaired students.
According
to information gotten by this reporter, the said student, Charly Ringnyu, was
asked by the Faculty of Education to bring the sum of FCFA six (6) hundred
thousand prior to his defense. Unwilling to pay, the said student went on a
hunger strike until something is done in response to his numerous plea made to
the faculty.
The
striking student stormed the said faculty with his mat and a pillow with
determination not to eat nor drink and to also sleep there if not attended to.
He also wore a placard with him with signs on them such as “Cameroon national football
team is a hero on the pitch and he is one of it” and…. the law is bigger than
administrators”.
This
commotion attracted a number of onlookers who stood round him trying to listen
to him and suggest possible solutions to his problem. According Charly Ringnyu,
he is supposed to be the first visually impaired student to have defended his
thesis but has lost this privilege due to the prolongation. He now stands the
5th or 6th position, because his fellow visually impaired colleagues have
already defended in different parts of the country.
”I
decided to stage this strike action because the new VC will be installed on
Monday July 10 and I do not want him to inherit this problem“. ”I have already
lost one year of studies as all my mates with whom I finished last year have
already graduated. I am now seen as one of the laziest student but whereas I
was finished since last year”. A strong warning was given to authorities of the
said faculty to make sure he defends his for it not “a new fire awaits the University”.
Mr.
Ringnyu says he started his Ph.D. program in 2012 with an 8-program option.
These are courses in UB were students are required to pay tuition fees. However
according to him, “when he started this program I knew that the 2010 law
exempts those who are visually impaired. So I did not pay but when I completed
my theses last year and I was about to submit I was called upon to tuition
fee”.
This
said strike comes as several students at the faculty of Education have been
caught in the web of forceful presentation of practical reports which was
impossible for them to do, due to the instability during the early stage of the
academic year.
Visually
Impaired Assistant Lecturer with Thesis in Hand
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