St. Jude Students Cry Foul Over Mandatory Graduation Fee Blocking Exam Registration

Students at St. Jude Higher Institute of Biomedical Science are facing a roadblock in their academic journey due to a mandatory graduation fee they say they cannot afford. Level 300 students registering for their Higher National Diploma (HND) exams this year claim the school is refusing to process their registration unless they first pay a 35,000 CFA franc graduation fee.

“We came to school today with everything completed for our exam registration, but they said they would first deduct the graduation fee before allowing us to proceed,” said one student, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal. “We don’t have that kind of money right now, and we don’t know where to turn.”

The students, who are already facing financial challenges, expressed frustration and confusion over the policy. “Many of us come from underprivileged backgrounds,” another student shared. “This additional fee is a huge burden, and it feels unfair that they’re holding our exams hostage over it.”

They added, “We’re supposed to be focusing on our studies and preparing for our exams, but instead, we’re worried about how to come up with this money. We feel helpless and unheard.”

St. Jude reacts

When MMI reached out to St. Jude for comments, the institution’s representative said the controversial fee is compulsory and applies to all the institutions run by St. Jude’s Higher Institute of Biomedical Sciences Douala.

“Payment of graduation fee is one of our policies, amongst others like school fee, internship fee etc. This is something students were aware of from the beginning of their program but unfortunately, they have been very stubborn due to external influence from our competitors which is a well-calculated attempt to bring down the reputation of our school which has always been at the top for HND results in recent years,” St. Jude told MMI.

They went on to add that “we have cautioned the students involved and have equally employed appropriate measures to ameliorate the situation and restore calm. We have equally identified the said competitors and lawsuits will be initiated against them in the days ahead. The allegations against the institution as penned by the students are not true.”

“It will be needless for your media house to publish the said story as more damage will be done to our business which we will go an extra mile to claim damages at all cost. This is more so as news on social media spread like wildfire. Thanks for your understanding,” underscored St. Jude.

But the students told MMI that they cannot wait for the problem to be addressed. “All we want is to register this HND in peace and go. We are tired. We even pleaded that since their focus is the graduation fee and we do not have the mental health to register, write, and pass this HND, they should allow us to register externally. They refused and said they have our pre-registration codes, which are needed to register us and it won’t be given out if we don’t pay the money…,” another student told MMI.

Reactions!

“This is outrageous!” commented one social media user. “Education should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial situation. The school should focus on supporting its students, not creating unnecessary barriers.”

Another user added, “It’s important to remember that these students have already worked hard to get to this point. Denying them the opportunity to take their exams because of an unaffordable fee is simply wrong.”

As the situation unfolds, the students hope that their voices will be heard and that the school will find a more accommodating solution that allows them to focus on their studies and achieve their academic goals.

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Kim Feh Contributed To This Article