More knocks for UI over alleged tuition hike

MORE stakeholders in the education sector have berated the action of the University of Ibadan (UI) on alleged increase in tuition fees for new intakes.

The Education Rights Campaign, a non- governmental organisation, in a statement signed by Akin Paul, on Tuesday, condemned the fees hike, describing it as an attack on returning students, anti-poor and therefore unacceptable.

The group also faulted the leadership of the institution’s Students’ Union Government for consenting with the tuition hike without seeking the approval of the generality of students at a congress.

According to the group, it is unheard of that UI’s management could think of increasing its tuition by as high as over 700 percent at this difficult time in the country when most families cannot boast of eating more than once daily or being able to afford other basic needs of life

The group asked the university to reverse the old fees and expect mass protest from students, parents and civil society groups and other concerned individuals.

UI said to have recently displayed on its portal various fees for freshers for the 2022\2023 academic session, ranging from N230 to N412,000 depending on course of study against the old fees regime of between N64, 600 and N69, 600.

The group emphasised that the university management lacks moral justification and credibility to impose such a new fees regime, moreso that “none of the previous hikes by successive administrations has translated into significant improvement in both the learning and living conditions of the e students on campus.

The group said the university needs not wait to experience mass protest before reversing the old order.

Meanwhile, the university says it is not true that it has asked the new students resuming for the 2023/2024 academic session to pay a new tuition as high as N412,000 as being reported and circulated on  news platforms.

Responding to an  inquiry by the Nigerian Tribune, the deputy vice chancellor (Administration), Professor Peter Olapegba, said that the university had not asked any student to pay such an amount of money as tuition.

“Nobody is paying such an amount of money here. Whatever news is being circulated concerning this is not true.

“No student is paying over N400,000 in UI. Whatever is  being circulated is false.”

He further stated that “there is no information yet regarding tuition on the payment portal.”

“People should wait until the university officially opens the payment portal; the payment  portal is not opened yet.”

He, therefore, advised students and stakeholders to wait to confirm whatever they are eager to know concerning tuition when the portal is opened.

When asked if the institution had the intention of hiking the tuition, he said, “this is not something that can be done in secret; wait until the university makes its provision official.

“What is being circulated is not an official provision from the university. The proper provision from the university will be made open on the portal.”

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