STC shuts down University of Science & Technology in Aden

ADEN, Sept. 09 (YPA) – The authorities loyal to UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Aden have closed down “The University of Science and Technology,” which is affiliated with the Al-Islah Party, following the university’s management refusal to lower tuition fees for students, despite the significant decline in the foreign exchange rates.

The shut down came after student held protests within the campus over the past two days, during which students demanded the cancellation of the tuition fee increase, which they deemed unjustified and an exploitation of their already difficult living conditions.

The university administration not only rejected the students’ demands but escalated the situation by detaining several students and journalists covering protests inside one of the classrooms.

This action was widely criticized as a blatant violation of freedoms.

For its part, the university administration announced a complete suspension of classes starting today, Tuesday, until further notice, in response to the escalating crisis with the Transitional Council authorities, leaving students without education.

The crisis with the STC authorities is rooted in the university’s controversial financial policies.

Previously, the university charged tuition fees at an exchange rate of 850 riyals per US dollar. However, despite the significant improvement in the local currency and the drop in the dollar’s value, the university refused to reduce the fees and instead recalculated them at 1,100 riyals per dollar.

This issue sparked widespread outrage on social media, with activists and citizens calling for the university administration to be held accountable for the deterioration of the educational environment.

In September 2020, the leadership of the Al-Islah Party relocated the so-called “University of Science and Technology Administration” to Aden.

@E.Y.M