Some Nigerian students at Teesside University in the UK have been ordered to leave the country after failing to pay their tuition fees.
Gatekeepers News reports that the students, who protested on campus on Tuesday, were reported to the Home Office by the university after they failed to meet their financial obligations.
According to the BBC, a university spokesman stated that failure to pay was a breach of visa sponsorship requirements, and they had “no choice” but to alert the Home Office.
However, the Home Office claimed that visa sponsorship decisions rested with the institution.
The students claimed they tried to negotiate payment plans with the university but were ignored.
Adenike Ibrahim, one of the affected students, said: “I did default [on payments], but I’d already paid 90% of my tuition fees, and I went to all of my classes. I called them and asked to reach an agreement, but they do not care what happens to their students.”
Ibrahim was ordered by the Home Office to leave the UK with her son, despite paying the outstanding fees. She has not been re-enrolled to complete her studies.
Esther Obigwe, another student, said: “I attended all of my classes and seminars; I’m a hell of an active student. It is disheartening; I am now on antidepressants, and being here alone, I have nobody to talk to. For over two months, I’ve barely eaten or slept, and I don’t understand why this is being meted out at us; we didn’t do anything wrong.”
The affected students are facing deportation and uncertainty about their academic.
