SERAP Urge Institutions To Reverse Hiked Fees

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP),
has asked the authorities of two Nigerian universities to reverse
the recently increased school fees or face legal action.

SERAP, in a statement signed by Mr Timothy Adewale, its Deputy
Director and made available to newsmen on Thursday in Lagos,
described the hiked fees as “illegal”.

The institutions are the University of Ibadan (UI) and Adekunle
Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) in Ondo State.

The rights organisation said the fee increase would stigmatise
students who are unable to afford the new fees.

Giving the universities an ultimatum, SERAP said: “The
universities ought to have carefully considered the effects of high
fees on accessibility and the vision of education that they seek to
achieve.

“The universities are advised to find solutions to their funding
difficulties elsewhere.

“But if they fail to reverse these fees within seven days of the
publication of this statement, SERAP would take appropriate legal
action to compel them to do so.’’

UI increased fees for students’ professional training and
accommodation, while AAUA increased tuition fees.

The professional fees at UI now range from N75,000 to N100,000
per student, while accommodation fee in the hostel was raised from
N14,000 to N40,000 per student.

AAUA increased tuition fee from N30,000 to between N120,000 and
N200,000 per session.

According to SERAP, the dramatic increases will have the
discrimination effect on disadvantaged students, who may be unable
to afford the new fees.

“They are not granted an exemption, thereby creating a
classification based on the economic and social status of their
parents.

“The increases will also undermine the students’ rights to
education and equal protection guarantees.’’

It stated that the inability of the students or their parents to
pay these fees would result in an absolute deprivation of a
meaningful opportunity for the students to enjoy the educational
benefit.

“Increasing fees because the governments are not adequately
funding the two institutions amount to victimising the students
over an issue they have neither control nor responsibility.

“Students that are unable to pay these fees may become
disillusioned, gradually dissociate from the universities and
eventually drop out.

“When a student is excluded from gaining the full benefits
available in public school because of inability to pay fees, the
effect is exclusion, which naturally imposes a lifetime hardship on
a discrete class of students.’’

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP),
has asked the authorities of two Nigerian universities to reverse
the recently increased school fees or face legal action.

SERAP, in a statement signed by Mr Timothy Adewale, its Deputy
Director and made available to newsmen on Thursday in Lagos,
described the hiked fees as “illegal”.

The institutions are the University of Ibadan (UI) and Adekunle
Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) in Ondo State.

The rights organisation said the fee increase would stigmatise
students who are unable to afford the new fees.

Giving the universities an ultimatum, SERAP said: “The
universities ought to have carefully considered the effects of high
fees on accessibility and the vision of education that they seek to
achieve.

“The universities are advised to find solutions to their funding
difficulties elsewhere.

“But if they fail to reverse these fees within seven days of the
publication of this statement, SERAP would take appropriate legal
action to compel them to do so.’’

UI increased fees for students’ professional training and
accommodation, while AAUA increased tuition fees.

The professional fees at UI now range from N75,000 to N100,000
per student, while accommodation fee in the hostel was raised from
N14,000 to N40,000 per student.

AAUA increased tuition fee from N30,000 to between N120,000 and
N200,000 per session.

According to SERAP, the dramatic increases will have the
discrimination effect on disadvantaged students, who may be unable
to afford the new fees.

“They are not granted an exemption, thereby creating a
classification based on the economic and social status of their
parents.

“The increases will also undermine the students’ rights to
education and equal protection guarantees.’’

It stated that the inability of the students or their parents to
pay these fees would result in an absolute deprivation of a
meaningful opportunity for the students to enjoy the educational
benefit.

“Increasing fees because the governments are not adequately
funding the two institutions amount to victimising the students
over an issue they have neither control nor responsibility.

“Students that are unable to pay these fees may become
disillusioned, gradually dissociate from the universities and
eventually drop out.

“When a student is excluded from gaining the full benefits
available in public school because of inability to pay fees, the
effect is exclusion, which naturally imposes a lifetime hardship on
a discrete class of students.’’