Parents, Students Cry Out As Nigeria Universities Hike School Fees
The Nigerian education sector is facing a serious crisis as many universities across the country have increased their school fees by up to 300%, making it unaffordable for most parents and students.
This comes at a time when the country is grappling with economic challenges caused by the removal of fuel subsidy and the devaluation of naira.
The recent Students’ Loan Bill, which was supposed to provide financial assistance to students in need, has been met with skepticism and confusion by many stakeholders, who say the scheme is not transparent, accessible, or sustainable.
Some parents, who are already struggling to cope with the high cost of living, say they have no choice but to withdraw their children from school or look for cheaper alternatives. Some students, who rely on small businesses or menial jobs to fund their education, say they are losing hope of achieving their dreams.
The situation has sparked protests and outcry from various quarters, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and reverse the hike in school fees or provide adequate palliatives to cushion the effect on the masses. They also urge the government to revamp the economy and improve the quality of education in the country.
One of the universities that has witnessed a massive backlash from its students is Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, which has raised its fees by almost 300%.
According to the students, law students now have to pay N741, 500 instead of N185, 000, while medical students have to pay N638, 000 instead of N216, 000. The students say this is outrageous and unfair, especially for a state-owned university that is supposed to cater for the less privileged.
The students have staged several protests and threatened to shut down the school if the management does not revert to the old fees. They have also received support from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), which has vowed to mobilize its members to join the struggle. However, the school authorities have remained silent on the matter.
In Borno State, where insecurity and poverty have already taken a toll on education, many parents and students are also lamenting over the hike in fees at the University of Maiduguri. Some of them say they have not been able to resume classes due to lack of funds. They appeal to the school management to consider their plight and reduce the fees.
Malam Yusuf, a student of the chemistry department in the institution said after several weeks of resumption, many of his classmates were yet to resume due to the hike in fees.
“It is sad that many of us couldn’t afford what the institution charges. In fact, I stopped calling some of my classmates because, what they always told me is mind boggling and you cannot help,” he said.
Another student who wouldn’t want to be identified corroborated, saying: “Despite the fact that the students union government called on students to be patient that negotiation was ongoing to see how the institution would review the fees, most of the students could not come back because their confidence had waned.
“We used to pay N39, 000 for registration but it is now N150, 000. It is incredible, who will give you this money in addition to the cost of accommodation, feeding, books and others? Many students would resort to fate and withdraw,” he said.
A concerned parent, Gwamna Mshelia, described the hike as unbearable while calling on the institution to reconsider its decision.
“Most of these students are from poor family backgrounds. So the university is just saying that education is not for the children of the poor in Nigeria,” he said.
Tanko Ahmad, the Public Relations Officer of the university had said that the management of the institution had done everything possible to simplify the registration procedure and easy payment.
“The Students Union Government (SUG) has contacted the institution that students couldn’t resume due to the hike. To ease the situation for them, the management asked them to pay in instalments, 60 per cent in the first semester and the remaining 40 in the second semester.”
In Kano, many parents and students fear the development could lead to an increase in the number of school dropouts, saying university education might have gone out of reach for ordinary Nigerians.
The Bayero University Kano last week announced in a special bulletin the increase in central registration fees and administrative and hostel maintenance charges for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
According to the new school fees, students of Nursing would pay the highest among undergraduates with N220, 500 (fresh) and N197,500 (returning) followed by those of the Faculty of Clinical Sciences (MBBS) and Dentistry who will now pay N170,000 (fresh) and N160, 000 (returning) and all students of education courses will pay between N137, 500 and N138, 500 for fresh students while returning students will pay between N132, 500 and N138, 500 depending on their course.
The least in the category are students from Faculties of Arts and Islamic Studies, Law, Management Sciences and Social Sciences who will pay N97,000 as returning while fresh students will pay N105, 000. Students from Faculties of Computer Science, Communications, Earth and Environmental Sciences will also pay N100, 000 as returning while fresh students will pay N110, 000 respectively.
Muhammad Suleiman, a recent graduate from Bayero University, Kano (BUK) said while he considered himself “lucky” to have graduated, the development meant that his friend and course mate, who had a spill over may end up without a university degree after over five years when months wasted through strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are factored in.
“If this had happened even in my final year, I do not think I would have been able to complete my studies because even with the last N38, 000 registration fees I paid, I knew what my parents went through to get it. For my younger ones that are still in secondary school now, we don’t even know what will happen to them.”
Similarly, Aminu Idris, a 200 level student, said three of them from the same father are now studying in the BUK and that he does not think their parents can afford to pay for them.
“No one would like to drop out of school for the other. The increment will make many of us dropout of school and the student loan that might be of help is till October, so there will be a massive drop-out. It is really sad.”
A guardian, Bilya Yaro Dawakin-Tofa said he may have to start looking for alternatives for his sister who is currently in 200 level in BUK.
“I found this increment as unfortunate. I can’t imagine paying for her and at the same time taking care of the rest of the family with my meagre income. “
Our correspondents report that there are strong signals over school fees increment by the next session at the universities in Plateau, Taraba, Benue, among others. For instance, at the University of Jos, what happened in other places has created anxiety among students and parents.
Although yet to be officially announced, information to that effect has been spreading recently, especially when the students were already in their last examination for the current session.
A 300-level Economic student who simply identified herself as Victoria, said she saw information shared on Twitter by a student, and that it was purportedly from the school’s Twitter account.
She said the message purportedly indicated that fees in their department had been increased from N45, 000 to over N100,000.
A parent, Ocean Omekpa, said he hoped that the proposed increment should just be mere speculation as things are just difficult.
Another student of Archaeology, Favour Achor, said she heard as well that in their department, the fee had been hiked from N45, 000 to N96, 000 from next session.
The Deputy Registrar, Information and Publications of University of Jos, Abdullahi Abdullahi, did not immediately respond to questions on the issue before press time, saying he was in a meeting and would revert.
In Benue, Gideon Ogaba, a 200 level Chemistry student at the Joseph Sarwuaan Tarka University Makurdi (JOSTUM) formerly known as the Federal University of Agriculture said his parents would find it difficult to cope with any increase in fees.
“Already, the economic hardship is taking a toll on families. My father’s salary has not increased so if they go ahead to hike fees, it would be difficult for me to continue.”
Similarly, a 400-level student of Benue State University (BSU), Nancy Ornguga, opined that any further increase of tuition fee would impact negatively on undergraduates.
A parent, Peter Duru, said angrily: “They want to kill us; that is what they are out to do. How can they start increasing fees at this time? How do they want us to cope? I have three children in the university; how do they expect somebody like me to cope? Is this government meant to kill us or to help us to grow as individuals or people?”
Similarly, students at Federal University, Wukari and Taraba State University, have expressed concern over planned tuition fee increase in universities.
A 200 level student of Federal University, Wukari, Gabriel James told Daily Trust that many students were already facing problems of feeding and accommodation, adding that if there is any increase in school fees, most students would not be able to afford it.
Similarly, a 300 level student at Taraba State University, Abubakar Dauda, said it was unfair for the federal and state governments to increase university tuition fees at this time when most families were unable to meet their daily needs.
But a vice chancellor of a federal university who spoke off the record said while they empathise with parents and students, they were also constrained.
“Running the universities is extremely expensive. Do you know that diesel alone guzzles over 70 per cent of the subvention coming from the centre? Do you know how much it costs to pay salaries of academic and non-academic staff? Do you know how expensive it is to ensure security on campus, logistics and others?
“I think while there is the need for the federal government to have other ways of easing the pressure on parents, universities should also learn some lessons on how to diversify so that we can collectively salvage the situation,” he said.
The hike in school fees in Nigeria is a serious threat to the future of education and development in the country. It is a violation of the right to education and an obstacle to social justice and equality. The government and other stakeholders must act urgently and decisively to address this issue and ensure that no Nigerian child is denied access to quality and affordable education.
Newsflash Nigeria is an online newspaper that is developed and written exclusively for Nigerians. It’s packed with up-to-the-minute Local and National Economy News, Share & Capital Market, Health, Sports, Education, Technology, Business and Opinions.
To make further advert enquiries or place an order, please contact us at [email protected] and +2348053316946 and WhatsApp number 08033546732
FOLLOW US ON GOOGLE
