Varsity Students Thank Biya for FCFA 3 Bn Grant

Some 1000 university students last January 12 staged a march in Yaounde to thank President Paul Biya for the FCFA Three billion bursary he promised to best students of the country’s seven state universities during his end-of-year message. The students marched from the 20 May Boulevard through the Central Post Office to the Ministry of Higher Education chanting and praising the Head of State for the gesture.

It was a gratifying moment for the President considering the tense relationship that had hitherto existed between university students and the President since following the suspension of scholarships and the introduction of  school fees in the early 90s.

The FCFA 3 billion grant to observers is “part of the CPDM campaign strategy” to send students out to campaign for the president in 2011. The students who came in from the Universities of Yaounde I and II, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of Yaounde I, National Advanced School of Public Works, Advanced School of Mass Communication etc paralysed traffic from 9:30am to 12:45noon along the 20 May Boulevard. Apart from chanting praise songs the students aired out grievances in phrases like “Paul Biya supprime la pension” and even called on him to raise the grant to FCFA 10 billion and cancel fees in state Universities. The march past ended with students handing over their motion of support to the Minister of Higher Education, Prof Jacques Fame Ndongo for immediate onward transmission to the President Paul Biya.

By DOH JAMES SONKEY IN YAOUNDE