The University of Ibadan (UI) management hiked school fees, gave its students six days to make payment and told them to seek scholarship options instead of protesting.
UI students stormed the school on Thursday and Friday to protest the hike in school fees and the six-day timeframe for payment.
FIJ saw the students protesting with drums at the university gate on Friday.
FIJ also learnt that UI’s governing council issued a memo on Thursday to notify students of the school’s decision regarding the increased school fees. It also urged students to make use of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and other scholarships.
These developments come one month and two weeks after the school management promised to revise the fees, with students urged to refrain from paying until this had been done.
FIJ is aware that there has been a kickback against the idea of hiked fees since July 16, when the students first staged a protest against the school’s plan to ration electricity.
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A UI student, unnamed to avoid being victimised by the school management, told FIJ that the students had used the July 16 protest to demand a total reversal of the school fee hike, among other things.
“What triggered the protest of July was electricity rationing. The students reacted, and it expanded towards other issues like school fees. When the protest escalated, the students’ union met with the school authorities and there were resolutions that the school fees hike would be discussed and reviewed,” said the student on Friday.
Memo from the Students’ Union on July 17, after the protest.
However, rather than get the awaited positive feedback on Thursday, the governing council insisted that the increase in school fees was necessary “in view of the current economic realities and the university’s commitment to ensuring quality teaching and research”.
FIJ’s source said, “The governing council met and said the new deadline is September 4 and whoever does not have the money should take advantage of the NELFUND or scholarship opportunities around. That’s why the students are protesting.”
The memo from the governing council.
On the hike in school fees, he said it was sad, given that those behind it were leaders who enjoyed free education. “They are now telling us to pay for it. They are commercialising education. Maybe in the long run, education will become a commodity that only the rich can afford,” the student told FIJ.
“Also, students will still have to pay it in the end. If students don’t react on a national scale, if it’s just within UI, the school will still stand on its position and students will suffer for it because they said, if you can’t afford it, take loans or look for student scholarships. They said it like those are the options, so nobody cannot claim they don’t have options anymore, and it’s very sad.”
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‘THE SCHOOL IS CHOKING US’
Another student told FIJ that the decision to increase school fees at a time like this was not only unfair but also callous.
“The people who are increasing these fees were once students, and they enjoyed the goodies of free and accessible education. They were not taxed with the burden of paying exorbitant fees like they are doing to us right now. Right now, we are being choked,” this student said on Friday.
FIJ gathered that this student’s school fee was about N29,000 in her first year, and it was difficult for many to pay that amount at the time. “You will see classmates and fellowships coming together to pay school fees for their mates and members,” she said.
“But the new amount is almost a 200% increase. Imagine paying N29,000 in your first year and now you are paying almost N80,000. It’s just so much and very unfair.”
For this student, the university’s decision means only one thing: they do not care about the students.
“As for the protest, it is still ongoing. the mistake the management made was that, during the governing council meeting on Thursday, one would at least expect them to review or reduce the fee. Even if it’s just a N10,000 reduction, the students may not have protested.
“Then they made a release that they were not going to reduce it and that students have to pay by September 4. It’s very unfair.
“Some people’s fees are up to N300,000, and they don’t have that money. They are telling us to rely on NELFUND, yet I know some students whose NELFUND’s loans have not even been approved. So, it is not just fair. Then they gave us four working days to pay.”
FIJ learnt that the students are demanding a total reversal of the fee increase, and the protest may go on until this demand is met.
Meanwhile, the school management scheduled a meeting with the students’ representatives at 3:00 pm on Friday.
The resolution from that meeting was not out at press time.
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