School Fees Hike: OAU Students Express Concerns Over Sudden Increment, Lack of Prior Notice

Students of Obafemi Awolowo University have raised concerns and expressed displeasure over the recent increments in school fees. According to the approved school fees that circulated on Social media, the fees for new and returning undergraduate students increased by over ₦22,000 from the previous session.

As freshers in the Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences, Law, and Administration will pay N193,000, while returning students will pay 98,000 instead of N76,000. Similarly, in the Faculties of Science, Environmental Design and Management (EDM), Technology, Agriculture and Science Education are to pay N203,000, while stalites are to pay N108,000.

Also, in the Faculty of Pharmacy, the school fees for freshers were pegged at N226,000, while that of stalites jumped to N131,000. Likewise, for the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences and Dentistry, freshers would pay N226,000 while stalites would pay N231,000.

In a letter issued on Saturday, 31 October, the leadership of the Students’ Union stated the reasons for the increments, citing an adjustment in the Tertiary Students’ Health Insurance Programme (TiSHIP) fee, e-portal upgrade, and management and review of laboratory and studio charges. However, there was a deduction of N15,000 (fifteen thousand naira) on the new school fees, hours after it was implemented.

Students Reaction

In an interview with an ACJOAU correspondent, Adejumo Olamide, a part 3 student of Broadcast Journalism, said, ‘I strongly oppose the recent increase in school fees.  For instance, NELFUND has already paid school fees to institutions for eligible students, so what does the management expect these students to do now? Source additional funds to balance the new increment? If there was any intention to increase fees, it should have been announced before resumption so students and parents could prepare adequately.

‘More concerning is the apparent silence of the Students’ Union on an issue that directly affects the welfare of the students they represent. We need to know where our representatives stand. Development is important, but it should not come at the expense of students’ access to education. This increment should be reconsidered.

Questioning the management, he said, ‘What exactly justifies this increment when there is no visible improvement in the school’s infrastructure? We are still using old buildings, with no renovation, no new lecture halls, and students overcrowded in already inadequate classrooms. What exactly are we paying more for? Fee increments should reflect improved facilities and better learning conditions, not just additional financial burdens on students.

READ ALSO: Students’ Union Clarifies School Fee Increase, Reaffirms Commitment to Student Welfare

Similarly, Adeyanju Adedapo from the Department of Art and Social Science Education said, ‘The sudden increase was surprising as we were not even prepared for it; although they reduced it by a certain amount, it still does not justify increasing it without prior notice.

Also, Oluwamuyiwa from the Faculty of Pharmacy said, ‘The increment is not worth it, to be honest; maybe they want to generate more funds. I feel there should have been an announcement before the increment so that people would have prepared well for it. Some people have done their budget already; the increment will have to make them adjust things, sad.’

Another student who would rather remain anonymous responded, ‘Though the increment is uncalled for, I did not have all the necessary information to know whether it’s necessarily bad, but apart from that, it has not affected me much’.

Oritsejolomisan Edun, a part 4 student of English Language, expressed her disappointment thus: ‘I am very disappointed by the sudden increment in school fees. The amount is outrageous. OAU is supposed to be a federal university where the poor man’s child can attend without having to worry so much about exorbitant fees, but look at what we have now’

‘There are many indigent students in OAU, some of whom are even orphans trying to get by. We see the number of crowdfunding campaigns that have to be organised every session to help students pay their school fees. Does the Management not see these things?’

‘It is also annoying that the Management has not said anything about the increment, yet the Student Union is coming out to ‘clarify’ it. It is beginning to feel like the people who are supposed to be our voices are now becoming the mouthpiece for decisions that affect us’.

She further said that, ‘I am also bothered by the suggestion that students should opt for NELFUND. While it may provide some relief, it will eventually create a debt burden for students. It almost feels like the introduction of NELFUND is giving Federal universities the leverage to increase school fees as they please, knowing that students can always resort to loans’.

In addition, she said, ‘Personally, the increment is an additional burden for me. I already have off-campus rent and transportation to deal with, so having to pay more in school fees makes things even more difficult. I am also worried about some of the new rules, like having to pay school fees before securing hostel accommodation, especially with the sudden increment’.

‘I mean, I literally had to opt for paying my school fees in two installments last session because paying everything at once was not feasible. And it was only by a miracle that I got the room I currently stay in at the rate I did. And honestly, the whole situation is just sad and feels oppressive.’

Dada Oreoluwa from the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics also commented on the issue, saying, ‘The increments in school fees by the school authority were on short notice, leaving students with little time to prepare for the additional fees. They have every right to increase the school fees, but the problem I have with it is that it was short notice. The school authorities increasing it after NELFUND also paid the school fees was not proper. This development placed additional financial pressure on students, as the initial payments had already been made based on the previous fee structure.

Students’ Union President Response

ACJOAU correspondent reached out to the President, Great Ife Students’ Union, Kujembola Olalekan, on Sunday night, 1st November, via a phone call. The President responded that he was at Angola Hall, attending to the freshers, and told the correspondent to send him a message on WhatsApp as he was not available for an interview at that moment.

Our correspondent sent him a message immediately, to which he didn’t respond. He therefore followed it up with another phone call around 9 am on Monday 2 November. Picking up the call, the President of the Union once again directed our correspondent to send him a message on WhatsApp instead. When contacted on WhatsApp again, the President did not acknowledge receipt of the message, nor did he reply to it. As of the time of filing this report, the Students’ Union President has yet to respond to our messages.