SaharaReporters obtained the protests photographs which showed the students bearing various placards with inscriptions such as “Our right, education must not be violated” and “Degree; not debt. Fees Must fall.”
Students at the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Plateau State, are currently protesting against the 300 per cent increment in the school fees of the university.
SaharaReporters obtained the protests photographs which showed the students bearing various placards with inscriptions such as “Our right, education must not be violated” and “Degree; not debt. Fees Must fall.”
SaharaReporters on July 29 reported that the University of Jos announced the increase of school fees from the current N45,000 to N213,000 an increment of over 300 percent.
According to new school fees chat signed by the Registrar of the university, the N213,000 fee is for 100 and 200 level students while the 300 level students and above will now pay N160,000.
SaharaReporters reports that the university had in 2017, increased school fees to N45,000 from N27,000.
The institution’s Vice Chancellor, then, Professor Sabastian Maimako, had cited the dwindling budgetary allocations, rising bills and the need to upgrade some materials.
Maimako said the figure was endorsed by parents, old students and other stakeholders at a meeting in Jos, where all factors were considered.
SaharaReporters could not immediately ascertain whether the current Vice Chancellor, Professor Tanko Ishaya, had the same agreement with the students Union Government, parents and the stakeholders before arriving at this humongous and outrageous school fees hike.
UNIJOS increment came a week after the University of Lagos (UNILAG) announced increment prompting parents and Nigerians in general to kick against the astronomical increase of school fees by universities in the country.
The Take-It-Back movement had described the current trend of fees hike by many universities in the country as a “neoliberal agenda” of the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government while millions of Nigerians are in abject poverty.
“Following the neoliberal agenda of the administration of @officialABAT targeted at pricing education out of the reach of the poor, authorities of @UnilagNigeria and other campuses have resolved to astronomical increments in fees.
“This is coming at the time more than 150 million Nigerians lives in Abject poverty complicated also by unprecedented hardship occasioned by increase in price of fuel, and electricity tariff.
“We stand with students of the University of Lagos, their poor parents, and millions of Nigerian students who will become victims of the renewed neoliberal siege on public education,” TIB had stated.