It?s a controversy that has developed out of months of unsettled differences. Before the University of Belize reopened its doors to students for the 2006-2007 school year, the registration was hiked for some of the courses offered by as much as 100%. Additionally, some other fees were hiked, while new ones were added. There was a new campus development fee of $100, a computer fee of $165, as well as other costs that increased the average registration fee from $170 to $410.

There was a loud outcry by UB students against the increases. The then president of the Student Council, Moses Sulph, insisted that students could not and would not pay the skyrocketing fees.

Complaints flooded the KREM Wake up Belize (WUB) Morning Vibes show, and the resistance was made clear when students staged a small on-campus demonstration on Saturday, July 29.

Following that demonstration the Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Said Musa, announced that the Government of Belize (GOB) would pay the difference between the old cost and the new cost to alleviate the expected strain on students.

On August 2, 2006 a press release from UB announced that, ?The Government of Belize has agreed to pay the increase in fees as approved by the board of trustees and implemented by the University of Belize effective August 2006. Therefore, students will not be required to pay the cost of the increase.?

Today Amandala was paid a visit by Phillip Willoughby, a student of Faculty of Management and Social Science at UB. Issam Agha and Derricia Castillo, two students of the Faculty of Science and Technology at UB (Technical campus), accompanied him.

They expressed two gripes against the Government: the first allegation is that the Government has not met its promise to pay the increased cost of fees for the University?s students; the second is that Government is moving to hand over or take away university property, specifically the football field on the old Belize Technical College compound in Belize City.

Agha said he is representing the civil and architecture students while Derricia claims to be representing the electrical and mechanical department.

The trio said that they intend to visit all the university?s classes and talk with the students in an effort to make them realize what is happening and might happen with the institution.

The students who came to us today were armed with their own press release, taking a stand on both issues. The release addresses the takeover or sell-off of UB lands, and calls on the Government of Belize and UB?s board, chairman, president and administration to assist them in their cause.

Willoughby, who is also an Opposition UDP member of the Belize City Council, said Government has only paid the fee increase for one semester ($600,000 total), which he said they received only last week. GOB promised to upgrade the various faculties and their facilities, but that has not happened either, said Willoughby.

Within two hours they gathered 205 signatures of students from the business and engineering departments.

The release said, ?Our clear position demand and stance is that the title and ownership of our UB lands must be maintained, recovered and full ownership guaranteed, in particular University of Belize real estate situated at Freetown Road? We are against any proposed increase in students? fees/student tuition.?

It will cost Government $7 million to build and equip the Belize City ITVET. Summary information we have received on the project indicates that the Government plans to spend $42 million of Caribbean Development Bank and GOB money to set up centers around the country.

In 2000 the University of Belize was formed from an amalgamation of five tertiary level institutions and the former Belize Technical College was subsumed under UB in the process. The Technical campus has been largely left in a state of disrepair, some observers think deliberately so to do away with BTC, which has traditionally been the main post-secondary institution for vocational education in Belize.

The protesting students say they plan to collect even more signatures and forward them to Prime Minister, Hon. Said Musa.

They also plan to host a forum on the brewing issues next week Wednesday, November 15, on the basketball court at the Belize Technical College (BTC) grounds.