Students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, have appealed to authorities of the institution to consider a downward review of the new regime of high tuition fees recently announced.
The LAUTECH management had recently increased the tuition fees paid by the students by over 60 per cent
The institution’s Registrar, J. A. Agboola, had in a statement announced that with effect from the 2018/2019 academic session, indigene students of the owner states (Oyo and Osun) will pay N200, 000 per session while the non-indigenes will pay N250, 000 as tuition fees per session.
Prior to the new tuition regime, students from Oyo and Osun states paid N65, 000 per session, while non-indigenes paid N72, 500.
The present 100 level students after the long strike were instructed to pay N120, 000 for indigenes and N150, 000 for non-indigenes, as part of the resolution by the institution. All students, both new and old, are to pay the same price, according to the new fees, on resumption.
But the students are now pleading with the LAUTECH management to reduce the tuition fees.
A 400 level student of Accounting, Taiwo Joshua, said that the news was shocking to her as she had yet to inform her parents about the development.
According to her, she has spent and wasted more years in the school than to back out now.
She lamented the frequent long strikes and now the increment in tuition fee, which she said she might not be able to pay.
Joshua said, “I do not know what to tell my parents. When I told my mum that the school fees had been increased, she concluded that probably N5, 000 had been added. I wish it was that amount that was added to it. We paid a round figure of N65, 000, after adding all other things, which used to be very hard to pay at this time; now we have to pay N200, 000. It is not a private university.
“Stopping school now is not an option. I am going to my 400-level, considering all the strike actions that had delayed and claimed so many lives. I hope the new fees do not stand because some of my friends that fend for themselves will have to leave school. The management should consider us.”
Similarly, another student, who simply identified himself as Tunde, said as a non-indigene, he might likely drop out if the fees were not reduced because he had nobody to help him to pay his fee as he had about three more years to go.
He said, “With the situation on ground, I am very bitter. Where is the money? All the courses in LAUTECH are five years. I am just in my second year. I struggle hard to pay my school fees, my parents do not have the money to cater for my education. In my own capacity, I chose to go to school to make them proud. What will happen to me now?”
“This is why Nigeria is always at the back in education. Later, they will say we have high rate of out of school children. How many parents can afford to send their children to school with such amount? Even with the little amount, many still find it difficult to
pay.“
Another affected student, Titi Olawale, said, “Please, the government should consider us and our parents. The tuition fees should be reviewed downwards so that we can continue our
education.”
