Students at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Osun State have protested the increase in tuition
Some of the hashtags used by the students
When I dey pay 20k, I dey borrow money. I read the posters carried by the students as they stormed the varsity grounds early on Tuesday morning.
Where you want make I find 90k? #FeeMustFall”, “I can’t afford to quit. #FeeMustFall”, “My Mama dey sell Fufu, my Papa dey ride Okada,” etc. Where you want make I see 90k, #FeeMustFall.
“Akinboni Opeyemi, the secretary general of the university students’ union, verified this with our correspondent and said that the majority of students disapprove of the existing tuition rate.
Student union steps in
Following the institution’s management’s decision to scale back the fee increase, the students’ union advised students on September 26 to postpone paying tuition. According to the Jerrymusa.com, OAU management looked over the tuition that students at the university must pay.
According to a statement made by the university’s public relations officer, Abiodun Olanrewaju, the administration cut the tuition following a meeting with the students.
According to Olanrewaju, the leaders of the Students’ Union were firm in their demand for a 50% fee reduction.
The inituial charge was lowered
However, according to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, the initial charges have been lowered as follows:
“The initial sundry charges of N89,200 for Humanities students have been cut to N76,000 for returning students, while the initial fees of N151,200 have been decreased to N132,000 for new Humanities students.
“For those studying in the sciences and technology, the starting fee of N101,200 has been reduced to N86,000 for returning students and to N141,000 for new students in the same faculties, down from the initial N163,200.
Students not satisfied by the split
“In the same vein, the Pharmacy and College of Health Sciences returning students will now pay N109,000 instead of N128,200. In place of the original fees of N190,000, new students in the same faculties will now pay N164,000, according to a portion of the statement.
It further stated that the administration of the university had approved splitting the money into two equal payments.
During her conversation with our correspondent, Opeyemi mentioned that the union had initially demanded a 50% reduction of the initially suggested charge. After that, it only decreased by 15%. “We demand decreases, the same as we did in our last demand.
Students want’s the old price
Before they (the school management) lower it by 15%, we want a reduction of the initial suggested tuition, Opeyemi said, our correspondent.
The union had previously demanded that the administration of the school be required to reverse the increase in tuition and that “all financial institutions, especially remita, ignore and suspend any payment from OAU pending the time the union will write to them; otherwise, their branches in Ife and OAU campus will be shut down.
“We’ve also written to each bank in question, asking them to stop accepting fee payments from students until a better solution has been found.
Punch reports that even though we would prefer not to, if the school administration does not address the situation, we may be forced to stop all campus activities, eventually affecting schools across the nation, the union continued.