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TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS ARE INCREASING THEIR FEES DUE TO THE GROWING EXPENSES OF RUNNING THEIR OPERATIONS.

  • Post category:Education

Due to the recent removal of subsidies, Nigerian universities are significantly increasing their fees this year, as their operational costs have skyrocketed in recent weeks.

According to BusinessDay’s calculations of NNPC’s new/old price list, petrol prices in Africa’s largest economy have risen from an average of N191.8 per litre two months ago to an average of N526.7 per litre, leading to a surge in prices of all items and adding pressure on households and businesses.

Several universities have started raising their fees, as revealed by BusinessDay’s findings. For instance, the University of Maiduguri has recently raised its registration fees for new students by 385 percent, from N39,000 in 2022 to N150,000.

The University of Benin in Edo State has also increased registration and tuition fees by 38.4 percent for science courses and 40 percent for non-science courses.

A student named Amaka Nwachukwu shared that the University of Benin has asked science students to pay N190,000, a 38.4 percent increase from the previous N73,000, while non-science students now have to pay N170,000, a 40 percent hike from the usual N69,000.

The Bayero University of Kano has recently announced an increase in central registration fees, administrative charges, and hostel maintenance charges for undergraduate and postgraduate students. The new fees vary across different courses and departments.

Students of the University of Lagos have expressed concerns about potential fee hikes due to the high cost of living in the country.

Ambrose Alli University (AAU) in Ekpoma, Edo State, has announced an increase in registration fees, with some students expected to pay N741,500 compared to N185,000 last year, marking a 25 percent increase.

Concerned parents and stakeholders are urging the institution’s management to reconsider the fee hike, as they find it unbearable.

A senior lecturer at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) named Charles Onwunali believes that the removal of subsidies and the student loan act indicate the government’s intention to commercialize education, especially at the tertiary level.

A postgraduate student at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) named Damilola Oluwatunmise attributes the fee increase to the removal of subsidies, noting that everything has become more expensive.

An educationist named Ifeanyi Eke finds it concerning that the government has introduced changes without adequate plans to address the accompanying challenges, suggesting that it implies education is not for the children of the poor in the country.

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