Student protest paralyses Niger's sole university

Hundreds of university students in Niger on Wednesday barricaded main roads in the capital, Niamey, blocked access to the country's only university and set fire on car tyres to demand improved housing and living conditions. Police were deployed to break up the student riots with tear gas, but the protests only died down after the government on Thursday announced that it would pay the students allowances for January and February 2002, re-open the university food service and start a transport services for the students. The riots, which started on Wednesday were only the latest in a decade of successive strikes that have involved both teachers and students. "Promises were made by the authorities but not one has been respected. Wednesday's event was a warning. We intend to rally the entire school system and we have the means to do so," Yahaya Abdou, a student leader belonging to the Union of Niger students, warned. Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, has not been able to complete a trouble-free school year for a decade now. Thousands of students, at all levels, in the country have lost months of schooling due to upheavals. The 12,000 students at Niger's Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey, have already lost 40 days of school, long before the 2002-2003 school year ends. Niger's authorities attributed the troubles at the university to the country's poor financial status, saying the government of President Mamadou Tandja has made considerable efforts to alleviate the plight of the students. "The subsidies allocated to the university increased from 2 billion FCFA to 2.1 billion (US $1= 560) and the government still pays the students a stipend. Government has also equipped a health center for the students at 2 million FCFA," Abdou Aziz Issa Daouda, an official in the ministry of higher learning, research and technology, told IRIN. He said Niger had invested 150 millions FCFA (approximately $270,000) in renovating and refurbishing the university, especially in sanitation and plumbing, new mattresses and building repairs. On Thursday, the ministry for higher education agreed to pay some 4,000 students their stipends for two months. The ministry said it had earmarked 50 million FCFA ($90,000) for students who entered university over the last three years. The student union however said that was not enough: "We are against the idea of paying only a few students as it would be an injustice as some would not understand why wait longer after so many promises," Mahamane Laminou of the student union said. Faced with a stalemate, the authorities asked the students to call off their strike, pledging to find a solution to the problem. Again the student union leaders replied: "Calling off the strike is not an easy thing for us leaders because we have to consult our rank-and-file. We want something concrete. The payment of stipend to all students without discrimination, the opening of the dining service and transport for students." The students protest coincided with another row involving university teachers and researchers, who were also clamouring for payment of salary arrears from September. The government said from next year, transport and dining services for the students would be privatised. Housing would be allocated only to incoming students who've been awarded financial aid from the government. Niger, West Africa's largest country, in 2002 ranked 172 out of 173 on the UNDP index of human development, second only to Sierra Leone. In 2000, only 15.9 percent of Niger's 11 million inhabitants could read and write while only 16 percent of children of school going age, were in school.