Following the recent increase in tuition fees in public universities, the Nigerian Government has appealed to Nigerian parents and guardians of students in public universities.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr Tanko Sununu urged parents and lecturers in public tertiary institutions to shun acts capable of disrupting the academic session in Abuja on Wednesday when the leadership of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) paid him a courtesy visit.
Restraint
The Minister of State for Education, Dr Tanko Sununu, revealed in a statement released after the meeting, that students, parents, and lecturers in public tertiary institutions should shun all acts that are capable of disrupting the academic session, as schools get set for resumption.
The statement read:
- “The minister said the show of restraint would be in the best interest of all stakeholders as well as the stability of the system.
- “ The education ministry is having constructive dialogue and consultation with stakeholders over the welfare of students, staff as well as the provision of infrastructure in the nation’s tertiary institutions” he added.
On the issue of strikes and the non-use of facilities that could lead to rapid decay, Sununu promised President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to avoid any situation that could lead to further industrial actions.
Unrests
The President of CONUA, Niyi Sunmonu, warned that there could be a likelihood of unrest occasioned by the new increase in school fees, which he said had the potential to disrupt academic activities and the school calendar.
He urged the government to look into ways of improving the condition of service of academic and non-academic staff of universities, which he said had deteriorated due to the petroleum subsidy removal.
He stated further that there is a need to revisit the issue of the 8-month salary arrears that arose from the last strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), arguing that members of CONUA did not go on strike.
Nairametrics reported last week, that the VC of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Folasade Tolulope Ogunsola revealed reasons behind the rise in the institution’s tuition fees, chiefly caused by the challenging economic conditions in the country, which significantly impacted the operational costs of the university.
Prof. Ogunsola attributed the fee hike to the diminishing financial support from the government, stating that the university could no longer sustain its previous financial arrangements.
She went on to elaborate that the university allocates substantial resources to various essential areas such as hostel maintenance, electricity, and internet services, annual result verification and certification, program accreditation, as well as the logistical requirements for hosting individuals who come for accreditation purposes.
