The Management of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, has increased the school fees that students of the institution would be paying with effect from the current academic session.
According to a release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju, the decision to hike the school’s fees was taken by the Senate of the University at its emergency meeting on Tuesday, 12th September 2023, saying, “adjustable fees are just for an academic session.”
The statement stated that for those in the Faculties of Arts, Law and Humanities, the ‘freshers’ would pay N151, 200, while returning students of the same faculties will pay N89,200.
For those in the Faculties of Technology and Science, the new students will pay N163, 200 and the returning students of the same faculties are to pay N101, 200.
In addition, the new students being admitted into the Faculties in the College of Health Sciences, and the Faculty of Pharmacy are to pay N190, 200 (new students) and N128, 200 (returning students) respectively.
Earlier last month, the University of Ibadan (UI) also hiked certain fees paid by the students. The institution can be stated to be discreet in this increment as it does not formally reveal the increment and how it arrived at the increment
For instance, PrimeStarNews gathered that the nation’s Premier University increased the students’ fees through what it referred to as: Bundle fee N29,100, Technology fee, N20,000 and Utility fee, N20,000. It was also gathered that the institution increased hostel accommodation fee from N30, 000 to N60, 000.
There are other charges that are only known to the students.
PrimeStarNews gathered that the increase in various fees in the University caused some new students who could not afford the new fees to forfeit their admission.
The institution revealed that out of 4200 students offered admissions, only 3,792 were matriculated at the 2022/2023 Matriculation Ceremony across the Faculties.
According to Education Rights Campaign (ERC) of UI, pockets of independent agitations and mobilisation for a resistance by students with obvious support of the parents, the administration of the university of Ibadan was forced to back down over its initial plan to increase the school fee for the 2022/2023 academic session in accordance with a document titled “Proposed School Fees” earlier leaked into the public domain.
In a statement signed by one Ben Taaffe, the institution has proposed that a returning student would pay between N121,000 and N173,850, while the new student would have paid between N213,500 and N318,000 for the 2022/2023 academic session.
The statement reads, “Contrary to this, the school fees that were eventually announced by the university administration for the 2022/2023 academic session barely a week after the official date of resumption is not as outrageous as the one proposed in the leaked document even though the announced school fee itself is still a significant increment when compared to the school fee charged in the previous academic session. For instance, the new school fee which excludes accommodation fees and is grouped into bundle, utility and technology fees ranges from N50,000 to N150,000 depending on the course of study for both the new and returning. students.
“The ERC welcomes the significant reduction in the newly announced fee but strongly holds that it is never an act of benevolence by the university administration. Rather it is a concession forced on her by the pocket of independent agitations of students. This suggests that a better concession, possibly a total reversal of the increment, could have been won if the leadership of the students union had yielded to several clamours of students and thereby organised earlier collective resistance against the planned fee hike.
“Notwithstanding, we believe the struggle is not over yet. This is because the effected increment in either the so-called school fee or accommodation fee will not translate into any form of meaningful improvement in both the living and learning conditions of mass of the students. The lecture rooms and halls of residence will likely continue to be in a very despicable condition without any prospect for a possible improvement in facilities.
“It is in the light of this possibility we call on the Tobiloba-led SU to respect the call of over 300 students who had signed a petition requesting the convening of a congress of students as prescribed in article xiii item B of the constitution of the students’ union. The congress will offer students a credible avenue to democratically discuss how to ensure that the school fee including all of the additional charges translate into an improvement in both their learning and living condition in the University. Such a congress can also serve as a forum for discussion on how to take the campaign against fee hike further. As we all know, so far the policy of education underfunding which is rooted in capitalism is not defeated, fee hike will always be a threat. No matter the concession we have managed to win now, they will not last. Only a national struggle for proper education funding linked with a programme to end capitalism and enthrone a Socialist Nigeria can guarantee that our right to education is not jeopardized.
“Therefore, we in the ERC shall be willing to propose at such a congress if called, that the UI students Union should launch a national campaign for proper funding of public education and liaise with students unions/organisations in OAU, UNILAG and across the South West and Nigeria to form a national coalition to begin to organise public symposia, periodic lecture boycotts including protest and demonstrations at all State capitals and even at the National Assembly until all fee hikes are reversed and budgetary allocation to public education increased to what is required to ensure quality and affordable education for all.”
In another development, the institution’s Students’ Union has noted that it is discussing with the management with a few times of aborting increment of school fees for the Postgraduate students.
A statement signed by the body’s President, Samuel Samson Tobiloba and General Secretary, Olaniyi Sodeeq, stated, “… we kindly request that the Postgraduate students hold off on making payment for the utility levy.”
“There is an ongoing discussion with the university management as regards this, and it is important that you exercise patience while we clarify things”, it added.
