Some federal universities have announced hikes in tuition fees leading to an outrage among parents and students alike.
Some universities announced over 200 per cent hike and also proposed the idea of instalment payment so as not to strain parents who might be finding it tough paying at once.
For instance, the Federal University, Dutse, has announced a 200 per cent increase in tuition fees, but also disclosed discounts for the children of its workers .
The institution announced a hike of 200 per cent in a memo exclusively obtained. The memo also stated that there would be a discount for children of the university’s lecturers and workers.
The memo, which was signed by the Deputy Registrar (Academics), Kamal Muhammed, on behalf of the vice-chancellor of the institution, was issued on December 12, 2022.
The memo read in part, “This is to inform you that the Senate at its 57th (extraordinary) meeting held on Thursday, 10th of November, 2022 considered and approved the following: 200 per cent increment in schedule of fees and components for undergraduate students for the 2022/2023 academic session and other charges.
“Payment of fee in two (2) instalments of 60 per cent and 40 per cent per semester, respectively. Only one payment for hostel maintenance fee. Recommended discount payment of fees for members of staff to be decided after consultation at the general congress. Approved discount payment for spill over students to be decided by the management.”In another memo made available to our correspondent by a member of ASUU at the University of Maiduguri, the management of the institution explained that it hiked associated fees due to rising inflation in the country.
The memo, which was titled, ‘Upward review of registration fees and charges’, was released by the office of the registrar of the institution.
The memo, which also gave a breakdown of the new payments to be made, read in part, “Following the rising costs of teaching and learning materials as well as laboratory consumables and reagents brought about by market forces, the university Governing Council had at its 157th meeting held on Thursday, 1st of December, 2022 approved the review of registration charges for both postgraduate and undergraduate programmes of the university as follows: New students Medicine – N252,500; new students Medical Laboratory and Nursing – N136,500; new students Anatomy- N162,500; new students Physiotherapy – N131,500; and new students Radiography – N133,500.”
Further analysis of the new fees released by the school also revealed that old students in the Faculty of Basic and Medical Sciences would pay between N112,000 and N258,000.
The university also noted that foreign students would pay additional $1,500 as fees.At the Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State, the university had increased registration fees by students to as high as N150,000 for some programmes.
This was disclosed in a schedule of payment obtained by our correspondent.
According to the schedule, students in Medicine will pay N150,000 as departmental registration fees; students in Nursing, Medical Laboratory Sciences and Radiography are to pay N100,000, while students in Anatomy and Physiology will pay N50,000.
According to the memo, the registration fee is exclusive of the tuition fees to be paid by the students.
The university, however, warned that students were not to be charged more than the approved fees.Data from the website of the University of Uyo, a prominent federal university located in Akwa Ibom State, revealed that both new and returning students would pay over N100,000 as against the N50,000 currently paid by students in the institution.
In the newly approved payment schedule obtained y our correspondent, it was highlighted that new Medical students would pay N105,750, while returning Medical students would pay N107,750.
In the faculty of Education, the institution noted that new and old students would pay N75,750 and N77,750, respectively.
Returning students in the Faculty of Social Sciences will pay N107,750, while new students will pay N105,750.At the University of Ilorin, the management is currently considering a hike in fees. Though the new charges have not been made public, the Student Union Government of the institution, in a statement made available to our correspondent, appealed for calm.
The statement, which was signed by the union’s President, Oluwatobi Faji, read in part, “We’re not unaware of the uproar, complaints and tension generated due to the recent increment of charges by the university management. Being a responsive union that we are, we have made sure to drive home your grievances, displeasures and articulations with regards to the increment.”
