Return hostel fee, no on-campus exams, Islamabad’s NUML students protest
They warn of continued protests if demands not met
Students of the National University of Modern Languages in Islamabad took to the streets on Monday protesting against the varsity's on-campus exams.
"Throughout the fall semester we took classes online and now the university has suddenly decided to take exams on campus," a protesting student said.
The protesters have demanded the university return them their half-semester fee and the money charged for transport service and hostels.
NUML students are out in protest against the admin's anti-student policies, forcing them to return to campus for exams after months of badly managed online classes (for which full fees were charged). @ProgStudentsFed's Minhaj Swati leading slogans. #NUMLiansBoycott_PhysicalExams pic.twitter.com/GOWd47jQfM
— Ammar Rashid ☭🌹 (@AmmarRashidT) January 18, 2021
We want justice.#NUMLiansBoycott_PhysicalExams #NumliansProtest_For_Justice #StudentsWantOlineExams #NumliansReject_OnCampuExams @Shafqat_Mahmood #hecpkofficial pic.twitter.com/svGNS6Unyo
— Saliha Malik (@Saliha69052291) January 17, 2021
"What's the purpose of charging so much money when none of these services were availed by us?" another student asked.
A number of students also complained that the quality of online classes in the last few months had dropped. We were just dependent on notes and textbooks, the students said.
One of the protesters added that some students couldn't even attend the online classes due to the lack of facilities. "With all this, on-campus exams will be an easy way for them to fail us."
Placards at today's #NUMLiansBoycott_PhysicalExams protest outside NUML in Islamabad. Students are sick & tired of being excluded from decisions about their education & their lives. #NumliansProtest_For_Justice pic.twitter.com/vxtDi12WYn
— PRSF (@ProgStudentsFed) January 18, 2021
Some student rights organisations such as the Progressive Students' Federation have joined the protesters as well. They have warned that the protests and sit-ins will continue until their demands are met.
Varsities across the country moved their final exams on campus last week after the government announced that universities will reopen from February 1.
They said that the government is already reopening universities from February 1, so they might as well just delay the exam date and take the finals in person.
