On Thursday, angry students taken the streets to protest against a decision taken last week by the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of the State University of Haiti (UEH), concerning an increase in registration fees to 1,000 Gourdes (500 Gourdes previously) more 500 Gourdes, of supplementary fees by additional faculty.

The demonstrators who demanded of rectorate the cancellation of this provision, threw stones, bottles, erected barricades of burning tires and broke the windshield of a dozen vehicles parked in the courtyard of the rectorate and broken shutters of several windows of the building.

In the early afternoon a confrontation broke out between students and police, who used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. Two students were arrested and a policeman injured.

A student of the Faculty of Ethnology, Amos Toussaint said that "[...] the vast majority of young people can not even pay the required 500 gourdes [...] such a decision intended to exclude those who don't afford to pay the admission fee [...]"

Jean-Vernet Henry, Rector of the UEH deplored the behavior of students "This is an unacceptable act, of university students, who are called to lead the country should not solve a problem with violence. When there is a problem, it is necessary that the actors take the path of dialogue to find the right solution."

Recognizing that this increase does not match with the current economic reality of many students, the Rector explained that this decision had been taken without having been consulted, by the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of UEH "Upon learning of this decision, I spoke with the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, asking him to return to this measure." Following this intervention, a new notice reported this decision challenged and was released Thursday morning "But it did not calm the students," regretted the rector, which attributes these acts of violence and vandalism, to a sector that wants to thwart its decision, to report the previous procedures of increase in admission fees in the faculties...

HL/ HaitiLibre