FG Proposes N500,000 Tuition Fee for Public Universities

• FG Proposes N500,000 Tuition Fee for Public Universities

The Federal Government has reportedly proposed that students in public universities across Nigeria should be paying N350,000 for Arts and Humanities and N500,000 for those in Sciences.

Prof. Lawan Abubakar, the Bauchi Zonal Coordinator, said ASUU has rejected the proposal by Dr Wale Babalakin, the negotiator between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Federal Government.

“One of the major issues our union wishes to bring to public domain is the wild idea of sharing the cost of education between the government and parents proposed by Dr Wale Babalakin. This idea of sharing the cost of education since government alone cannot fund education, and that parents need to pay for it too,” Abubakar said.

The Union argued that the constitution clearly stated that education is the sole responsibility of the government.

“Our union rejected the proposal based on the fact that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly states that funding education is the sole responsibility of Governments at various levels and not parents”.

The union also rejected the idea of Education Bank for undergraduates. According to ASUU, the negotiating team proposed a loan of N1 million for undergraduates –every session to pay the hiked tuition fee and sustain themselves.

Abubakar said not all students will have access to loan and for those who meet loan requirements, it is the parents who served as sureties that will eventually pay back the loan, given the high unemployment rate in the country.

Nigeria’s unemployment is 18.8 percent with interest rate at 14 percent and expected to rise ahead of the national election as the monetary policy committee looks to curb rising inflation.

The union further argued that even if students were able to secure a job after graduation it is dangerous to start out in life with a loan of 4 to 6 million Naira.

“In this kind of situation, the graduate would be subjected to, when will he finish paying the loan and establish himself?”

“Frustration will gradually set in and make them live a life of misery,” Abubakar concluded.