In a significant victory for student advocacy, the University of Wollongong in Dubai has suspended its planned 100% parking fee increase following substantial backlash from its student body. The institution had initially announced that underground parking rates would double from Dh10 to Dh20 per hour, a decision that prompted immediate student mobilization including petitions and social media campaigns.
University President Professor Mohamed-Vall M. Salem Zein confirmed the reversal, stating that student feedback regarding parking arrangements had been taken seriously. The university is collaborating with its facility partner, Dubai Knowledge Park (DKP), to develop a revised parking model that prioritizes student needs. DKP has assured that students will be categorized separately from general visitors to create more favorable parking arrangements.
The proposed increase would have dramatically impacted student finances. Engineering student Ahmed illustrated the potential burden, noting his current Dh20 daily parking expense would have quadrupled to Dh80. Parents expressed similar concerns, with one mother calculating that her son’s weekly parking costs would have reached Dh380 for three days of classes.
While an alternative parking option exists near the tram station at Dh5 per hour, students noted the limited capacity and crowding issues that would have been exacerbated by the price changes. The university’s initial plan included only 160 students receiving two hours of free parking on a first-come, first-served basis, a provision that students found insufficient.
The decision to maintain current parking arrangements represents a successful case of institutional responsiveness to student concerns, highlighting the power of collective action in addressing campus accessibility issues.