PhD student takes UNIPORT to court over right to education


Tina Amanda

A high court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned for judgment the case between Amadi Chukwuemeka Robert, a postgraduate student and the University of Port Harcourt for fundamental right to Education.

The applicant was said to have been given admission for postgraduate studies in the University of Port Harcourt in 2009, completed his academic work successfully and was given his results and plagiarism test, but was refused graduation.

The applicant was still made to pay school fees till 2017 after the school had approved his course work. The applicant filed a lawsuit against the University of Port Harcourt with suit number PHC/1791/2018 for breach of his fundamental
right to education.

The defendant, University of Port Harcourt, in a response to an affidavit filed said the applicant Amadi Robert has exceeded the period stipulated in his admission letter of five years and had an addition of extra two years.

In her ruling, Justice Augusta Wuchie Kingsley Chukwu adjourned the matter to 4th of February for judgment.

Counsel to the applicant, Christian Njiwum, told our reporter Tina Stephen that their prayer in court is for the University of Portharcourt to allow the applicant and other PhD students facing such situation to graduate and be awarded their PhD certificates.

He further said that they have documents showing that some PhD students who registered in 2004, 2007, 2008, were allowed to graduate a period before the applicant got admitted for his program, stressing that the university is discriminatory in graduating students.

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