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Sudan Tribune

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John Garang University dons demand students’ expulsion

April 13, 2017 (BOR) – Lecturers at Dr. John Garang Memorial University have downed their tools, saying teaching would only resume after students who attacked the deputy Vice Chancellor for finance and administration, Dr. Robert Deng are expelled from the institution’s premises.

Prof. Robert Deng smiles at the church choir as they perform at the university (ST)
Prof. Robert Deng smiles at the church choir as they perform at the university (ST)
The teaching staff made this resolution on 11 April, 2017.

Last month, students university at the institution went on a strike demanding that tuition fee be reduced from SSP7,000 to SSP2,000.

This demand was, however, dismissed by the university’s administration on grounds that the tuition fee increment was meant to cover costs of feeding students, accommodation and registration.

The university accused students of physically attacking the deputy Vice-Chancellor for finance and administration and his secretary.

“Students, who attacked the professor of chemistry, Dr. Robert [Deng] and forced him to leave the campus, also slapped the secretary of the office of the Vice Chancellor. These students, who are responsible for these wrong doings must leave the campus immediately, and let those who want to learn remain,” said Mach Deng Mach, the dean of post-graduate studies at the university.

He described those who attacked the senior university official as “students who have no discipline”, stressing that their lecturers would not resume teaching as long as they remained on campus.

“The students physically attacked the deputy of administration and finance without considering themselves as learners, and without respecting the image of the university,” he continued.

A student, who asked not to be named, said the students had done nothing wrong during and after the strike was called off.

“Those are good DJs [disc jockeys] playing their music to make sure that the university is closed, we were so professional. We just took the keys and we told the two administrators to be out of the university until the problem was solved. We never slapped anyone,” the student told Sudan Tribune Thursday.

Lecturers at the university still want the students to be disciplined.

(ST)

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