By Sabri Dibaco
Students from the University of Juba, sponsored by Pioneer Operating Company (POC) and Sudd Petroleum, have appealed to the Government of Unity State to urgently intervene over the non-payment of their tuition fees.
The students claimed the delay threatens to disrupt their education.
The appeal follows a notice issued by the University of Juba School of Law Evening Program to students sponsored by the oil companies, informing them that outstanding tuition fees had not been paid.
The school warned that affected students would not be allowed to register and attend classes until the balances were cleared.
In a statement addressed to the government of Unity State, some of the students expressed concern over the situation, calling on the Unity State government to intervene.
“We, the students of the University of Juba sponsored by Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) and Sudd Petroleum Operation Company (SPOC), respectively, raise our deep concern to the Government of Unity State regarding the non-payment of our tuition fees by the sponsoring companies,” the statement reads.
They added that the university’s notice had left them worried about the future of their studies.
“The notice issued by the University of Juba has made it clear that the outstanding tuition fees remain unpaid, and consequently, the sponsored students will be denied entry to classes. We therefore appeal to the Government of Unity State to intervene urgently so that our education is not interrupted,” the statement reads.
The students said they had fulfilled their academic responsibilities and expected the sponsoring companies to honour their scholarship commitments in accordance with the sponsorship arrangements.
The appeal comes after the University of Juba School of Law Evening Programme issued a formal communication to students sponsored by the oil companies.
“According to the letter, this is to inform all students sponsored by Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) and Sudd Petroleum Operation Company (SPOC) that the university has not yet received payment of their tuition fees for the previous academic year,” the statement reads.
The notice further urged affected students to follow up with their sponsoring companies to ensure prompt payment of the tuition fees.
The students warned that continued delays could negatively affect their academic progress, including attendance, coursework, and examinations.
“Accordingly, any student sponsored by GPOC or SPOC will not be allowed to register for the forthcoming academic year or sit for the substitute/supplementary examinations unless his or her outstanding tuition fees have been fully cleared,” the statement reads.
They called on both Pioneer Operating Company and Sudd Petroleum to immediately settle the outstanding tuition fees and urged the Government of Unity State to engage the companies to safeguard the education of beneficiaries from the state.
Neither the government of Unity State nor the two sponsoring companies had issued a public response to the students’ concerns by the time of publication.
Efforts to reach the oil companies as well as the state government for a response were not successful at the press time.