ASUU, parents groan as more varsities hike fees
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, parents, and students have started demonstrations as more universities continue to raise their fees in the midst of a failing economy as tertiary institutions around the country prepare to create a new semester next week.
Following the increases in tuition fees by universities across the nation, ASUU and organizations for parents and students issued a warning about the probability of widespread student dropouts.
The union was concerned about the situation at the same time that anxious parents voiced their worries about the implications of the tuition increase for their kids and other wards attending public tertiary institutions.
The institution is not a for-profit business, according to Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, the national president of ASUU, who expressed disapproval of the fee rises.
The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, announced a new school fee regime on Wednesday.
The decision, according to a communiqué released by the university’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, was taken by the school’s Senate at its emergency meeting held on Tuesday.
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The statement disclosed that fresh students in the Faculties of Arts, Law, and Humanities would pay N151,200 while returning students of the same faculties would pay N89,200.
Checks indicated that returning students in Faculties of Arts, Law, and Humanities as of the last academic session paid N20,100.
According to the management, new students being admitted into the College of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Pharmacy are to pay N190,200 while returning students, who paid N28,100 in the last academic session, will cough out N128,200.
The statement read partly, “For those in the Faculties of Arts, Law, and Humanities, the fresh students will pay N151,200 while returning students of the same faculties will pay N89,200.
The same scenario was observed at the University of Benin where the management had introduced new fees for full-time undergraduate courses for the 2022/2023 academic session.
Before the increment, science students who used to pay N73, 000, are now required to pay N190, 000. Non-science students who used to pay N69, 000, are now mandated to part with N170, 000.
A breakdown of the increment for new science students included exam and lab fees of N30, 000; library N15, 000; sports N5, 000; ICT N5,000; counseling N1,000; utility N20,000; medical charge/life insurance N5,000 and accreditation N24,000.
Other levies included sanitation N7,000; bank/portal charges N5,500; development levy N20,000; students union dues N2,500; orientation brochure N5,000; certificate screening N5,000; academic gown N5,000 and ID card N5,000.
Non-science students are to pay N10,000 for the laboratory while other fees are the same.
However, after a meeting between the Students Union Government and the school management, the fee was reduced to N105,000 for non-science students and N115,000 for science students.
Subsequently, the non-science students will pay N85,000 while the science students will pay N95,000.
Several federal universities began the implementation of increments in fees following the suspension of the industrial action by the ASUU in October 2022.
The varsities which hiked their fees included the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare; University of Maiduguri; Federal University, Dutse; Federal University, Lafia; University of Uyo; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, among others.
The universities in separate memos attributed the development to the rising cost of learning materials and the need to fund activities in their respective institutions adequately.
So far in 2023, the Bayero University, Kano; University of Lagos, Akoka; University of Jos; and the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife have also announced fee increments.
The University of Nigeria Nsukka similarly increased fees payable by undergraduates by 100 percent across all levels.
A breakdown of the fee structure indicated that the first-year students of the Faculties of Social Sciences, Agriculture Sciences, Education and Arts would pay N110,000; N85,000 for 200 and 300 levels students while final year students will pay N83,000.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Registrar, Dr Christopher Igbokwe, and published on the UNN’s website last December.
For the Faculties of Business Administration and Environmental Science, 100-level students will now pay N114,000, while 200 and 300-level students will pay N85,000; final-year students will pay N83,000.
ASUU, parents groan as more varsities hike fees
