Hundreds of Kaduna State University students have stormed the school to protest the planned hike of tuition by the state government.
Reports revealed that the proposed increment could see the tuition N35,000 to a minimum of N150,000, an action that the students had alleged could lead to 75 per cent of them dropping out of school if approved.
The aggrieved students accused Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s administration of a deliberate act to deny them access to education, adding that every attempt to persuade the government and other stakeholders against the hike has failed.
Speaking on behalf of the protesting students, Abubakar Buhari – the National President of the Association of Science Students, “told us that they are yet to implement the proposal.”
He said the old fees were between N24,000 and N26,000 “depending on the course of study for indigenes while non-indigenes pay between N31,000 and N36,000 depending on the course of study.”
“The new fees schedule in the student’s portal shows that returning students will pay a flat rate of N100,000 irrespective of the course of study and indigenization, the new students, indigenes will pay N150,000 for art and humanities and N171,000 for sciences while non-indigenes would pay N221,000 minimum.
“For social sciences, indigenes will pay N170,000, non-indigenes will pay N200,000. Indigenes admitted to study medicine would pay N300,000 while non-indigenes would pay N400,000.
“We are protesting to draw the attention of the state government to revert to the old fee rates or reduce the feed to a rate that parents and caregiver will be able to pay.
“This is because most of our students find it difficult to pay the old rate and with this increase, only the children of the elites can afford university education in the state institution.
“I assure you if this news fees regime is implemented, 75 per cent of our students will drop out. The question is must a son of a carpenter become a carpenter? Must a son of a peasant farmer become one? Don’t we have a right to education a social responsibility?”
