Students of the Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Edo State, are at loggerheads with the management of the school following the latter’s decision to increase school fees for the 2015/2016 Academic Session,PremiumTimes reports.
A check by them showed that the increases in the fees were between 170 per cent to 240 per cent. Details of the schedule of fees showed that medicine had the highest increase from N47,000 to N160,000, a 240 per cent increase. Natural sciences, Education, Agriculture, and Physiology had their fees increased from N41,000 to N112, 500, a 174 per cent increase.
Also Business courses like Public Administration, Business Administration, Economics and Banking and Finance attracted 175 per cent increase, as students will now pay N110,000 as against N40,000 earlier paid by the students. Engineering courses, microbiology, computer science, architecture and building had their fees raised by 172 per cent from N45,000 to N122, 500. Continue...
Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nursing, Law, and Accounting was increased from N47,000 to N127,500 or 170 per cent. The institute of education would now attract a fee of N110,000 instead of N40,000 paid last session, which is a 175 per cent increase. Arts, Social Sciences and Fine and Applied Arts got a raise from N34,500 to N96,250, an increase of 179 per cent.
These are apart from the admission acceptance fees requiring medical students to pay N75,000 while other students are to pay N60,000.
After settling the fees, students would also be required to pay other charges such as Students’ Union dues, N1000; AAU Legal/File, N800; AAU Students welfare assurance, N500; Matriculation gown, N2000 and Concession fee, N10,000.
Baring any changes, a medical student would have to pay a whopping N249,300 per session under the new school fees regime.
It was gathered that students will continue to pay throughout their study in the institution, what they paid in their first year.
Findings however showed that because a new Students’ Union is yet to be inaugurated, there is currently no rallying point for the incoming students.
However a group of concerned students have put themselves together to tackle the management on the new fees regime.
Calling themselves students’ activists, they have undertaken to engage the management and other stakeholders, including parents to force down the new school fees.
Speaking on behalf of the students, Alex Peter, said the hike in the fees threatened the educational sector, as it makes education completely unaffordable.
“We are not oblivious of the hardship that Nigerian (AAU Ekpoma) students suffer in their campuses because of the corruption that has eaten up the soul of every sector in our society today,” he said.
“Students that are not paid bursaries, students that are not paid allowances, students whose future aren’t guaranteed even after spending years going through school shouldn’t be subjected to massive exploitation and unaffordable, ridiculous and obnoxious school charges.”
Mr. Peter noted that a students’ caretaker committee appointed by the school management after the earlier one was impeached, connived with the management to impose the new fees.
According to him, the newly elected government had not been inaugurated and in that situation could not begin to confront the issues officially.
He said he and his group of students were calling on the governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole to intervene in the matter and reverse the hike.
Meanwhile, the management of the institution has defended the hike in the school fees, saying it was still affordable and competitive.
It will be recalled that only few days ago, Governor Oshiomhole admitted the State University was below standard, but agreed that what the university needs was money to make it a standard one.
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