Like a wave, school fees increment hit Federal and state-owned universities in Nigeria.
This new development is a bitter pill for many students and their families. While some students have gone through several hardships to meet the deadline for paying the fees, others are left with the sad reality of becoming dropouts.
Unlike other schools where students clamoured against the hike with protest, the schools report accepted the development and are painfully moving on. In this report, Campus Reporter spoke to students across different schools to document their plights.
The National Bureau of Statistics shows that 63% of Nigerians are multidimensionally poor. Thus, parents from low-income families can’t afford the exorbitant fees required to save their wards from stopping their academic pursuits.
Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU)
In Prince Abubakar Audu University, Ayingba, Kogi State, the fees were increased in November 2022 for the 2022/2023 academic session, but for the new students alone.
Campus Reporter learnt that the fees used to be 57,550 naira for the newly-admitted students while returning students paid 46,550 naira. At the moment, the fees for new students range from 70,000- 300,000 depending on the course being studied due to the increase.
When Augustine Sunday, a 100-level student, got admitted to study Law in the school, he jumped with ecstasy. However, he was taken aback after hearing that he would pay 150,000 naira as his tuition fees.
“It was shocking and almost looked like a setback,” he said. He revealed that he only came to the school because of his passion for education, which propelled him to continue with further registrations, although he “felt like giving up.”
“It cost my family and me quite a lot. I am not the only child of my family; there are five others, and it’s not like I am from a rich family.”
Augustine hopes that the government and school authorities consider the poor masses, adding that public-controlled institutions remain their beacon of hope to get their children educated.
“The school should look into this and know that a whole lot of people are on the streets who want to get tertiary education, but the school fee is like a demotivation to them”, he said.
Another student, Aladi Aleni, who studies Education and English/Literary studies, said she paid 75,550 naira for the 2022/2023 session.
Aleni said that the country is in a state where money is hard to come by for all and sundry. “Apart from the school fees, I also paid other fees, which has made the whole process a bit difficult,” she lamented.
“There is an increase in the price of everything, the government should be considerate enough to increase salaries or, better still, make education free, or there should be a law guiding school fees in the educational sector.
“This will help more people get quality education and contribute positively to the growth of the country’s economy and subsequently reduce the number of uneducated people in the country”.
We contacted David Monday, the President of the Student Union Government (SUG) of PAAU, but he declined to comment on our enquiries.
University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID)
For Usman Ibrahim, a student at UNIMAID, the fee increment meant selling his laptop and phone before he could raise the 93,000 naira to pay his fees.
“I felt sad. By the way, I am even an orphan. I am the one sponsoring my education. I don’t have anybody assisting me. I also had to sell some of my farm produce while bringing some to school for upkeep in school.”
Usman arrived at this decision after he considered dropping out, which his friends vehemently opposed.
Fatima Abubakar, a student of Computer Engineering, was able to pay half of her fees of 115,000 naira amidst hardship and financial constraints faced by her parents.
“My parents are the ones paying. However, I do sell some stuff to help, although it’s not enough. Things are hard. My parents are farmers. We struggled to come up with the money,” she said.
Even after paying the fees, all is not well with Fatima. She fears that the increase would mean continued hardship for her parents.
“I pity them. It is not easy coming up with such an amount in this economy. And this will continue perhaps until graduation.”
Munsir Hassan Nanaba, President of the Student Union Government (SUG) in UNIMAID, confirmed that the union had reached an agreement with the school management.
“We proposed to the management to enable students to pay in instalments. That is 60% in the first and 40% in the second semesters. Thankfully, the management considered this proposal and implemented it.”
“We have also liaised with NANS and other student unions to appeal to the Federal Government because the increment took root from the government”, he said.
Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY)
At the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Ogun State, students are living in fear and uncertainty of increased fees.
Adebambo Adewale, a department of Mass Communication student, told this reporter that there have been speculations that there would be a rise in school fees from between 58,000 and 62,000 naira to 150,000 naira.
When asked what would be his fate if the increase is a reality, he said: “It is already adding to the anger of students.”
“We all understand that there’s inflation in the country. Many are already giving up on continuing their education. Students are not feeling happy.”
Another student, Sogbamu Saheed, from the department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, argued that the hike in school fees would affect his processing and registration into the Higher National Diploma (HND) program in the school.
“15,500 naira has been added to our acceptance fees,” he told Campus Reporter dejectedly.
With a single parent, Sogbamu doubts if surviving the cost of living in school would be easy for him again.
Considering the students’ dropout rates, he said: “I can beat my chest that 60% of students would be discouraged and they might not continue their HND programme.”
He described the current situation as “a bad time for MAPOLY students” while calling on the Ogun State government to direct more efforts to the education sector.
“Education Is A Right” – Expert Weighs In
Emmanuel Kilaso, a distinguished expert on education and founder of Securecyle Initiative, told Campus Reporter that removing subsidies by the Nigerian government and raising school fees is “a precarious move with ripple effects” on the weak educational system of the country.
“The recent escalation in school fees presents a pressing question of how can students and their families navigate this additional financial burden. It is a question that warrants serious consideration from our government,” Kilaso said.
“We must remember that access to quality education is a fundamental right, and it should not be undermined by policies that threaten to create insurmountable barriers.
“The increase in school fees can disproportionately affect students from low-income families who may struggle to afford the higher fees. This may also lead to young people engaging in activities that are not ethical (yahoo yahoo, rubbery or rituals) to meet their needs of paying their school fees,” he stressed.
Additional reporting on the story was done by:
Al’amin Umar
Boluwatife Aponmade
Fawaz Adebisi