Ukrainian Students Picket Parliament, Demand Education Minister Resign
Students protest in front of parliament in Kyiv.
KYIV -- Some 300 university students have picketed the Ukrainian parliament building to protest a draft law on higher education that could lead to higher tuition fees, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports.
The protesters also demanded the resignation of Education and Science Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk, a member of the ruling Party of Regions.
The demonstrators carried signs saying "Free education for everyone!" "Deputies are parasites and do not let students live," and "No students, no future." WATCH: Students picket in Kyiv. (video by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service)
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Students Take To The Streets
They said the draft law, authored by the Party of Regions parliamentary faction, would force some students to pay part or all the cost of their tuition fees.
The protesters added that the draft would lead to the abolition of the current system in which the state guarantees jobs in certain fields for a specified number of students.
The demonstrators told RFE/RL that the majority of the protesting students were from the National Kyiv-Mohilyansk Academy.
Some 100 police monitored the protest and barred the demonstrators from entering the central Hrushevskyy Street.
