The Federal Government has said the tuition of students in Federal Government Colleges, also known as Unity schools, excludes tuition.
According to the government, the hike only affected boarding and textbook fees, as well as uniforms.
OsunDailyNG reported on Friday that school fees of Federal Government Colleges, otherwise known as Federal Unity Colleges, across the nation, increased from N45,000 to N100,000.
The platform gathered that the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, has directed that new students of these colleges across the federation would pay N100,000 on resumption.
The new directive was contained in a circular from the Office of the Director of Senior Secondary Education Department of the Federal Ministry of Education, reference number ADF/120/DSSE/I, dated 25th May 2023 and addressed to all Principals of Federal Unity Colleges.
However, the government had clarified that the additional N49,500 added to the fees of JS1 students in the new school fees regime reflected on uniform, boarding, medical, utilities, textbooks, notebooks, and prospectus fees.
The documents also show that the increase in the fees for J.S.1& S.S.1 (new students) was not in tuition fees.
Similarly, other contents in the same circular ADF/120/DSSE I, addressed to Principals of the Federal government colleges for J.s.1,2 & Senior Secondary School 1&2, indicated an increment of N15,000 in boarding fees, N3000 in textbooks, and the sum of N2000 added for notebooks.
Speaking to the fee hike, the office of the Director, Senior Secondary Education Department of the Federal Ministry of Education said overheads in the federal government college system are still very low.
The office revealed that the government released funds for April 2023 two weeks ago, so fees paid by students are used to augment their feeding and other school running costs.
The office said, “The school fees were reviewed by the last administration. If you check the date on the circular, it was before President Bola Tinubu assumed office, and we released it in May to sensitise parents.
“So the slight increase is not in tuition fees. As a matter of facts, with evidence, tuition fee is still free because which child will you put in school that you will not buy books for and also buy uniform?
“The increase is insignificant as projected in the media. True be told, we don’t charge school fees. Which school will you put your child and feed him or her for three months with N30,000?
“The entire fees were reviewed across the board, not only for JS1 students.
“Uniform was added because of adulterated uniforms procured by parents for uniformity’s sake the school changed the idea so that all parents will buy same color of uniform.”
Below is a document obtained by VON with break down of the hike:
