Students in Ogun State have called on tertiary institutions in the state to reverse their hiked school fees within the next four days.
The students, under the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Ogun State, lamented that the hike in school fees by some institutions was an attempt to make life unbearable for indigent students.
DAILY POST reported that a protest erupted at the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun on Tuesday following the increase in tuition from N65,000 to about N240,000.
The protest has since forced the management of the university to vacate all students.
Addressing journalists in Abeokuta on Thursday, NANS Chairman, Francis Adeyanju, kicked against what he described as the “abnormal increment” in school fees of all the state-owned tertiary institutions.
Adayanju threatened that there would be a mass protest that would shut down the state should the government fail to intervene and see to the reversal of the hiked fees in the next four days.
Adeyanju, who was also joined by the National President of the National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS), Kehinde Mathew, lamented that the increment in school fees is an attempt to prevent vulnerable and indigent students in the State from accessing affordable and qualitative education.”
He expressed displeasure at the “insensitivity” of the managers of the affected schools towards the plights of students and the development of education in the State.
“At Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), returning students are now to pay N180,000 as against N76,500 per session, while new students are now to pay as much N230,000.
“The school fees of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) have been jacked up from N62,000 to N120,000 for Science students, while non-science students are to pay between N150,000 to N155,000 as against N55,000.
“For Ogun State Polytechnic of Health and Allied Sciences, the school fees were increased from N67,000 to N109,000 for indigenous students, while non-indigenous students are now to pay N124,000 as against N77,400,” he said.
Adeyanju added that tertiary institutions should not be seen as an avenue to generate revenues but should be seen as an avenue to prepare the youths for the future to take leadership positions.
“If nothing is done at the expiration of the four-day ultimatum, we will mobilise our students across the State and shut down the State in a mass protest until our demands are met,” the student leader threatened.
