Students’ Loan: ASUU, ASUP Reject Tuition Fee Hike

Lecturers in the nation’s universities and polytechnics have warned the Federal Government not to toy with the idea of increasing tuition fees by hiding under the guise that it has set up a Students’ Loan Scheme through which students can source for money to finance their education.

This is just as the lecturers expressed doubt about the workability of the scheme given the condition that the beneficiaries should start to repay two years after completing the National Youth Service Scheme, NYSC, in the face of the difficulties by graduates in securing jobs after graduation.

Defaulting in the repayment of the loan or aiding to default attracts a fine of N500,000 or two years imprisonment or both. The scheme starts in September, this year, according to the Federal Government, yesterday.

However, speaking on the workability of the law, especially given the high unemployment rate in Nigeria, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, said the foundation for the scheme to fail has been laid already. They opined that when repayment becomes impossible, the fund would simply dry up.

The National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, noted, “It is a subtle hike in tuition fees in tertiary institutions. If a student says he cannot afford the fee, he would be asked to go and take the loan. We are not talking about how the children of the poor will be able to access it. We know that in Nigeria, things meant for the masses are always hijacked by the rich. After graduation, the children of the rich will get jobs and those of the poor, who may benefit from the scheme, will have no job from which to repay. We are not in support of any move to hike fees.

“The union will react appropriately soon, but Nigerians know our stance on the scheme. It may not ultimately benefit children of the poor and even if it does, it will just put debt burden on them. Let the cost of governance be reduced and frivolous contracts and spendings be done away with and we will have more funds for social services like education and others.”

For the National President of ASUP, Dr Anderson Ezeibe, “the law does not take cognisance of the economic realities and situation in the country. The foundation for the scheme to fail has been laid. The unemployment rate in Nigeria, which I learnt is over 30% is one of the highest and under such condition, the scheme won’t be sustainable. It is a funny way of introducing tuition fee and take away education from the children of the poor that they claim to support.

“It is like the proponents of the law don’t live in Nigeria. Let them take a look at the situation on ground and do something that will reflect the realities on ground. Who is deceiving whom? If beneficiaries don’t secure employment after graduation and you expect them to begin repayment, the scheme will crash. Officially, tuition is free, but institutions have hike service charges like Acceptance Fes, ID card Fees, Hostel Fees among others. A student who complaints of inability to pay would just be asked to go to seek students loan. Government should just convene a meeting of stakeholders and experts and people will chip in ideas on how to fund education and even free funds from frivolous sectors.”