Students of the Taraba State University, TSU, have concluded a plan to drag the school authority to court over a hike in tuition fees.
Two hundred names and signatures of students willing to file a public complaint suit against the management of the institution over the sudden fee increment have been collected.
Salisu Waziri, a 300-level student of the institution, who on Thursday, January 12, 2023, spoke to newsmen on behalf of the aggrieved group said students will by next week file a public complaint against the school management and the Taraba State government for increasing the school fees.
Describing the action of the school management as “unjust” he expressed sadness over the alleged failure of the school authority to consult the Students Union Government, SUG, before arriving at such a decision.
“Over 200 students have signed the suit form seeking the court to stop the management of Taraba State University from implementing the recent increase of school fees without justification, “he disclosed.
Waziri added: “We want the court to compel the Taraba State Government to pay the backlog of 10 months’ salaries owed to lecturers of the institution which the students believe is the reason for the sudden increase in the school fees.”
The increase in school fees was announced barely a day after the massive demonstration embarked on by the students in solidarity with their lecturers whose 10 months’ salaries and allowances are yet to be paid by the administration of Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku.
A circular signed by the confidential secretary to the registrar of the institution, Sebastian Anthony, showed the fee payable by indigene students in Social and Management Science has been increased from N44, 000 per session to N70, 000, while non-indigene students who used to pay N68,000 per session are to pay N90, 000.
The students argued that there is “no justification for the sharp increase. ”
Waziri urged the school management to desist from such acts and find permanent solutions to the myriads of problems bedevilling the school, including shortage of lecture halls, poor hostel accommodations, lack of water supply, and lack of toilet facilities to mention but just a few.
The decision to hike fees without passing through due process, he said, would not be accepted by the students.
“We do not need a prophet to interpret the handwriting on the wall, we believe that the state government has failed in its responsibilities and is shifting it to the students to bear the pains by forcing the school management to increase the tuition fees.
“If the decision to increase the school fees is the outcome of the Council meeting held in December 2022, why is the management releasing the information after the students protested, and why will the school management make an increment without consulting the Students Union Government?” he stated.
Senate Moves To Stop Hike In School Fees Of Tertiary Institutions
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, in Abuja, held a meeting with heads of regulatory agencies in the education sector to douse the brewing tension over an alleged hike in registration fees in some tertiary Institutions.
In attendance at the meeting were the Executive Secretary of the National University Commission, NUC, Professor Abubakar Rasheed, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education, NCCE, Professor Paulinus Chijoke Okwelle, and Hajia Bilkisu Salihijo Ahmad representing the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE.
In his opening remarks, the Senate President told his guests that he convened the meeting as a follow-up to an earlier engagement which he had last week with the Coalition of Northern Groups – Students’ Wing which brought a complaint of a plan by some tertiary institutions to hike registration fees.
“We felt that we actually owe it a duty to listen to our students and of course also hear from you because we need to establish beyond reasonable doubt what the situation is,” Lawan said.
The Senate President cautioned that “whatever situations we find ourselves in, we must not do anything that will jeopardise the position of our students particularly at a time that is so difficult.
“We understand that our tertiary institutions need more resources but we equally understand that our students are mostly from very poor backgrounds and we must do everything possible to protect those who are so vulnerable.
“The finances for their education must never be hurdles between them and actualising their dreams. So we have to find out how this situation is and we take the appropriate measures.
“Because you represent the supervising bodies for our tertiary Institutions, we felt that we should start with you, listen to you, and then we can now find a way out of this.”
He assured the students that the National Assembly and indeed the government would always work to protect and support them to continue with their education.
Responding on behalf of his other colleagues, the NUC Executive Secretary, Professor Rasheed commended the Senate President for his timely intervention.
“Your concern is shared by all of us. It will, at this point, be difficult to know exactly which universities are violating or not. But after this meeting, we shall consult all the Universities with a template to complete and tell us exactly what charges they have.
“We understand that the universities cannot be forced to charge uniform fees across the country because they have different demands and they come from different situations.
“Possibly, a University in Lagos or Port Harcourt may charge slightly more than universities in some rural areas. But there should be a baseline.
“One university cannot charge 20,000 naira while the other charges 150,000 naira to Nigerian students where tuition has been free since 1978 at the undergraduate level.
“We are happy that you have now raised this alarm on time and I will go back immediately, consult Vice-Chancellors, and if possible, we shall bring them to a meeting to discuss whatever resolution we arrive at, at the end of this meeting,” Professor Rasheed said.
