After Governor Oshiomhole Admits AAU Is ‘No School’, University Increases Fees By 200%
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.
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.
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