Students protest additional fee

Students protest additional fee

PURWOKERTO, Central Java: Some 1,000 freshmen of the state
Soedirman University here staged a protest on Friday against an
additional fee of Rp 500,000 (US$55.37) each that has been
levied.

"We protest and object to the new decision. This is a state
university, how could it ask for fees as high as those of
private universities?" asked Amin, one of the new students.

"Rp 500,000 is a large amount for us."

The students' protest won support from the Student Forum for
Transformation (Format). Format coordinator Slamet Tohirin
told the press that his forum strongly opposed the incremental
fees.

He said that new students had agreed not to pay any of the
additional fees.

Meanwhile, rector's assistant in charge of student
administration Komari confirmed that the university needed more
cash to improve facilities in the campus.

"The money will be spent to upgrade facilities and education
infrastructure in the campus," he said, adding that the students
of the previous year were also required to pay the incremental
fee.

"The new students in last year's entry also paid Rp 500,000
and they staged no protest," he said. (45/08)