By Chol Makol Riak
Students at Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology on Tuesday briefly shutdown the University’s offices while protesting.
Last week, the university’s administration enforced an order urging students who failed one course to repeat the whole academic year.
A third year protesting student who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he had spent more than eight years at the university due to South Sudan’s economic situation which interrupt their studies at times.
He added that they are not against the school administration but the school should consider them since the decision is made after they sat for exams.
“We are not against the school functioning or the administration but we are calling for our right, we are asking for pardoning from the school administration since we have been down for some time,” he said.
“The system was set during the time of Covid-19 when students were out of the school, again it came in when the exams where already done, I failed one course in third year,” he added.
However, he urged the school administration to pardon the student and allow them to move to the next classes respectively.
Meanwhile, Dr. Natijo Odongi, the Academic Registrar at Dr. John Garang Memorial University said that the students should have not gone on strike adding that they are against the system.
“These students are forcing us the administration to allow them to go to the next class but we are contending but this is not the academic way of doing things. You have to clear yourself and then go to the next class,” Dr. Odongi said.
He added that the protesting students block the studies at the university adding that the school administration brought security forces to provide security.
“The offices are now opened and we have provided security in the university in order for the lectures to continue and we must finish this first semester for this academic year,” he added.
Dr. Odongi said the new resolution for clearing the failed courses was made early and made publicly to the students adding those claiming for the revoking the order should not be considered.