Police on university campus

Ghana's government has sent police to the university campus in Accra in response to protests since last Thursday by militant students demanding more money to offset a hike in tuition fees, news reports said. One news source told IRIN that although the students had disrupted lectures at the University of Ghana's Accra campus, there had been no violence so far. The government has sent in riot police armed with water cannons to ensure that students wishing to attend lectures do without fear. However, the source said, their number was "woefully inadequate". The protesters say the three billion cedis (US $1.1 million) the government has set aside for bursaries is inadequate. They want the amount increased to 13 billion cedis (US $4.94 million) because tuition fees have risen from the equivalent of US $120 to US $800 per year. The Ghana News Agency (GNA) reported that the boycott of lectures was being led by the university's Students Representative Council. GNA said students in the School of Administration and the faculties of agriculture and science were attending classes, but some others had stayed away out of fear of the militants. A news source told IRIN that the University Teachers Association of Ghana, which has expressed concern about the atmosphere on campus, has been asking students to attend classes and called on the authorities to make sure the academic year is saved. The authorities were scheduled to meet parents on Monday night to discuss the increase in fees.