Juliet Oladele, Reporting
THE House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to engage with the management of public tertiary institutions to suspend school fee increases and initiate a comprehensive review of tuition structures to align with current economic realities.
The Green Chamber further urged the Federal Government to consider increasing financial subventions to public tertiary institutions to reduce their dependence on internally generated revenue through student charges.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion raised by Hon. Ifeoluwa Ehindero, the member representing Akoko North East/West Federal Constituency, Ondo State, on the matter at plenary.
Debating the motion, Mr Ehindero observed that the recent and widespread increases in school fees and other mandatory charges by several public tertiary institutions across the country, including universities, polytechnics and colleges of education—in some cases by over 100 per cent—had been implemented without broad consultation or consideration of the economic realities facing many Nigerian families.
He noted that education is the cornerstone of national development and is recognised as a fundamental state objective under Section 18 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which states that government shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels.
He also noted that the Federal Government recently launched the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) with the noble aim of providing interest-free loans to indigent students to access tertiary education without financial hindrance.
He said: “Aware that the NELFUND loan scheme was designed based on existing tuition benchmarks and institutional cost structures, and that arbitrary or sudden hikes in fees by institutions threaten to undermine the sustainability, equity, and effectiveness of the loan programme.
“Observes that the recent and widespread increases in school fees and other mandatory charges by several public tertiary institutions across the country, including universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, in some cases by over 100 per cent, have been implemented without broad consultation or consideration of the economic realities facing many Nigerian families.”
The lawmaker said that if allowed to continue unchecked, these fee increments may create significant disparities in the allocation of education loans, crowd out students from less affluent backgrounds, and frustrate the objectives of NELFUND in bridging access to higher education. According to him, such trends, if not immediately addressed, may lead to increased student dropouts, campus unrest and an overall loss of public confidence in the government’s commitment to affordable education.
The House unanimously adopted the motion when the Speaker, Rt Hon Abbas Tajudeen, called for a voice vote, with members voting overwhelmingly in favour.
The presiding officer thereafter mandated the Committees on University Education, Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, and Federal Colleges of Education to investigate the extent and justification of the recent school fee increases by public tertiary institutions.
