No fewer than one thousand students in University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) are battling with the reality of facing an extra academic year due to notice of temporary withdrawal issued to the students by the school Authority.
While narrating their ordeal to National Network, the students revealed that after the course online registration for 2018/2019 academic session ended on April 5, 2019, the Management of the institution issued a notice on May 21, 2019 on the University website urging the students who have paid their statutory fees to pick up form for manual registration in their various departments and submit on or before May 24, 2019.
The students explained that many of them complied with that directives by picking up the form and submitting it to their departments before the May 24, 2019 deadline which enabled them to write their first semester examination that held between May 27 to June 21, 2019.
They stated that surprisingly, the Management of UNIPORT last Thursday issued a notice on their website signed by one Mrs Dr. Agatha O. Ataga directing students who paid all statutory fees but did not meet up with their course registration in first semester to pick up a form for temporary withdrawal to enable them resume studies in 2019/2020 academic session.
They expressed shock that the Management will issue notice of withdrawal to the students after those of them that did not meet up with the deadline of online registration complied with manual registration process.
They called on the Federal Government and all well meaning Nigerians to come to their aide by prevailing on the Management of the university to do the right thing.
Our reporter who sighted the notice issued to the students revealed that the management gave the students uptill Friday August 23, 2019 to pick up the temporary withdrawal form.
Investigations also revealed that course registration is a pre-requisite for students of the institutions to participate in examinations.
In the meantime, Parents who spoke on the development revealed that it will be a huge loss to them as they will be made to pay another fee in 2019/2020.
They said considering the economic reality on ground ,it will be a very huge burden on parents who have more than one child in the institution.
Efforts to hear from the Management of the institution was not successful as the spokesperson of the University, Dr. Williams Wodi did not respond to text messages sent to him which from network response had been delivered to his mobile line.
