As tertiary institutions across the country begin a new session next week, the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU), parents and students started protests as more varsities continue to hike their fees amid a worsening economy.
ASUU as well as the associations of parents and students warned about the likelihood of mass dropouts of students following the hikes in fees by the universities across the country.
The union was worried about the development just as apprehensive parents expressed concerns over the implication of the fee hike for their children and wards in public tertiary institutions.
The National President, ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, frowned on the fee increases, noting that the university is not a profit-making commercial centre.
The management of Obafemi Awolowo University(OAU), 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.
The statement disclosed that fresh students in the Faculties of Arts, Law and Humanities would pay 151, 200 naira, while returning students of the same faculties would pay 89,200 naira.
Checks by newsmen indicated that returning students in Faculties of Arts, Law and Humanities as of the last academic session paid 20,100 naira.
According to the management, new students being admitted into the College of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Pharmacy are to pay 190, 200 naira while returning students, who paid 28,100 naira in the last academic session, will cough out 128, 200 naira.
The same scenario was observed at the University of Benin where new fees had been introduced by the management for full-time undergraduate courses for the 2022/2023 academic session.
Before the increment, science students who used to pay 73, 000 naira, are now required to pay 190, 000 naira.
Non-science students who used to pay 69, 000 naira, are now mandated to part with 170, 000 naira.
Credit: Punch