University of Namibia postpones exams due to student protests

Student protests have forced the management at the main University of Namibia campus in Windhoek to postpone examinations that were scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Vice Chancellor Lazarus Hangura, who received a petition from the students Monday, said the university council will decide the way forward Thursday.

Hangura could not say when the postponed examinations will be written.

The protests were sparked Monday by the order by the university for students to pay up their fees before they could sit for the examinations.

The move to bar indebted students was arrived at after the university realized that it is owed more than 145 million Namibian dollars (10.3 million U.S. dollars).

This is the first time the university has had to demand full payment before the students sat for the examinations.

In the past, indebted students were allowed to write but would only collect their results when they paid in full.

In January 2016, students at the University of Namibia demonstrated against paying registration fees and were allowed to enroll.

There are 19, 000 students at the university. Endit