THE Guild of Students at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, yesterday described the 15 per cent hike in tuition fees for 2007/8 as “exorbitant and unjustified”, and called for it to be lowered.

At a press conference convened yesterday on the campus, guild president Andrew Badaloo and members of his executive told reporters that if their pleas were not met “a peaceful protest” would be organised.

“We have had about two meetings with the university administration already and so far the response has not been positive. We’re trying to be as civilised as possible here. We plan to exhaust all possible avenues for dialogue and if that doesn’t work, we will be staging a peaceful march around the ring road,” Badaloo said yesterday.

According to the guild president, while the students were not against an increase in tuition fees, they believe that a hike of 15 per cent was unconscionable and that the increase should be done in gradual stages. They suggest a five per cent increase in tuition fees and a five per cent increase in hall fees – which has gone up by 10 per cent.

Apart from an increase in tuition and hall fees, students also face a 68 per cent hike in health insurance premiums.

“All we are asking is that the increase be reasonable and if they are going to increase the fees, more avenues for financial assistance should be made available for students,” said Badaloo.

Under the new fee structure, new and second-year medical students (full-time) will pay $373, 805 while returning clinical students will pay $495,333. Returning pre-clinical students will be asked to pay $259, 993 (up from $226, 081). Law students will pay $166, 868 (up from $145, 103). Full-time students enrolled in Humanities and Education, Advanced Nursing and Physical Therapy, Pure and Applied Sciences and Social Sciences, will pay a flat tuition fee of $153,342 (up from $133, 341).

In a recent interview with the Observer, the university’s deputy principal Joseph Pereira said the new tuition fees were decided on as the economic cost of running the university campus has “massively increased”.

Yesterday, scores of students who had gathered outside Taylor Hall, where the press conference was being held, openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the scant regard in which they claimed the university’s managers were treating their opinions and proposals.

“Clearly, consideration is not being given to us students, because even with this increase there are so many problems on the campus that needs to be addressed, including the poor security,” said Michelle Prendergast, a Jamaican medical student.

Several other students complained that with the increase, they may no longer be able to afford books and accommodation expenses.

According to the university, all fees for semester one are due on September 30 after which a deregistration process would begin. Students with financial difficulties were, however, asked to make a report so that a payment plan could be worked out.

In the meantime, Badaloo said the guild’s executive has written letters to both Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and Opposition Leader Bruce Golding, asking them to intervene in the matter, and that they were awaiting a response.