Stop hikes in fees in tertiary institutions

Spike in tuition fees in our universities is a worrisome development capable of denying the poor the right to education. The essence of every existing government is to make life affordable for the citizens by initiating and implementing economic friendly policies and programmes geared towards the upliftment of their living standard. Article 13 of the […]

Spike in tuition fees in our universities is a worrisome development capable of denying the poor the right to education.

The essence of every existing government is to make life affordable for the citizens by initiating and implementing economic friendly policies and programmes geared towards the upliftment of their living standard.

Article 13 of the Nigerian Constitution that talks about Education and Skills Development provides that every young person shall have the right to good, quality education.

However, this part of the provision in the constitution has suffered serious infringement over the years not only in our private tertiary institutions but government-owned as well.

A fortnight ago, a friend told me that some government-owned universities have hiked their registration fees. This is apart from union dues, cost of accommodation and feeding.

One wonders how children of the poor who were managing to pay the previous fees through their noses could now afford the new fees with the current economic hardship, coupled with poor salary being paid the parents who are mostly civil servants.

It is indeed economically unwise for any government to increase charges of and public services without increasing the income of its workforce.

Imagine a civil servant who is receiving a minimum wage of N30,000 monthly with at least three children studying in different institutions, such children might be forced to drop out of school.

Unfortunately, almost all our leaders, in both public and private sectors, who are products of free education, from elementary to tertiary levels, are now in the forefront when it comes to formulation of anti-masses policies such as the frequent increment in the cost of public services and even God-given natural resources without commensurate income available to the ordinary citizens.

It is mind blowing for Nigerians to be subjected to this kind of exploitation even as thousands of youths are graduating year-in-year-out without jobs.

There is need for government to call the management of such tertiary institutions that yearly increase their registration fees to stop as it portends eminent danger to the peace and tranquillity of the country because many would be forced to dropout and resort to all sorts of social vices.

The federal government needs to weigh the grave consequences of incessant increase in school fees by our public schools which will no doubt aggravate the already tense security situation Nigeria is facing if majority of children of the poor get frustrated out of school.

There is no gainsaying that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Our youths should not be tempted by the unfriendly government policies to resort to criminality which will neither help them nor the government.

Nigerian youths deserve sympathy from the authorities, most especially at these perilous times, when livelihoods are threatened by the activities of bandits, insurgents and economic saboteurs.

It is expected that a government with a listening ear will direct the management of its universities to rescind their decision and revert to the previous fees, if possible even reduce it to a more affordable amount for the good of Nigeria and Nigerians.

 

 Comrade Abba Musa Muhammed, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi