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

Amid growing concerns from students about the recent increments in tuition fees across faculties, the Students’ Union on Saturday, 31 October, released a statement on the recent developments. The statement was signed by Olalekan Kujembola, President of the Union, AbdulRoheem Arogundade, the Union Secretary-General, and Isaac Oluwagbami, the Public Relations Officer.

The release, which began with the leadership of the Union assuring students that they have taken note of their struggles, read in part, ‘The leadership of the Great Ife Students’ Union has taken note of the concerns, questions, and widespread reactions trailing the recent updates to our financial obligations on the University portal’.

The leadership of the Union, through the release, further said that while the grievances of the students are legitimate, there is a need for clarification on why the fees were adjusted. In light of this, the Union leadership explained the major reasons for the adjustments and also declared its stance.

The first of the reasons, according to the release, is the Tertiary Students’ Health Insurance Programme (TiSHIP), which reportedly provides students with access to healthcare services at the University Health Center. TiSHIP formerly attracted a fee of two thousand five hundred naira (N2,500) but has now been adjusted to ten thousand naira (N10,000), a development the Union said has occurred due to concerns about the sustainability of the agreement, as two thousand five hundred Naira (N2,500) was considered insufficient to meet its obligations.

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The second reason was termed ‘e-portal upgrade and management’. The Union claimed it met with school management before resumption and raised concerns about the security of the students’ e-portal. Allegedly, there were alterations to the academic records of about three thousand students, an occurrence that has caused an upgrade to be made to the e-portal with the introduction of Amazon Web Services (AWS) to ensure security, storage capacity, performance, and overall functionality.

Enlightening the students more on what the upgraded portal entails, the leadership of the Union, through the statement, said, ‘Beyond the security improvements, the upgraded portal is designed to provide students with easier and more efficient access to essential academic services. These include accessing and downloading academic transcripts and other relevant documents online, without needing to visit a cybercafé or repeatedly go to University offices. It also provides an improved platform for course registration, result processing, access to academic records, and other administrative services. These improvements are intended to make academic processes more accessible, reduce unnecessary delays, and provide students with greater control over accessing their academic information.’

The Union says it acknowledges the concerns surrounding the additional Nine Thousand Naira (N9,000) charge, but that the upgrade addresses the need to secure the University’s digital academic system while improving the services it provides to students. The Union says it will ensure that the improvements translate into tangible benefits for the student community.

The third reason for the adjustment was tagged, ‘a review of laboratory and studio charges’. The Union, through the statement, said there needs to be a clarification as to why the fees for both facilities were increased by five thousand naira (N5,000) each.  

‘The adjustment of Laboratory and Studio charges is another area that requires clarification. Previously, the Studio fee was ₦20,000, while the Laboratory fee was ₦15,000. These have now been reviewed to ₦25,000 and ₦20,000 respectively, representing an increase of ₦5,000 in each category. It is important to clarify that these are not two separate charges to be paid by every student.

In addition, the Union says that, ‘rather, payment is determined by the academic requirements and facilities relevant to each department. For instance, departments whose academic activities are primarily studio-based, such as Law, are billed under the Studio category, while departments with laboratory-based practical requirements, such as Biochemistry, are billed under the Laboratory category, the statement read. 

While clarifying its stance on the whole saga, the Students’ Union reaffirmed its commitment to protecting students’ interests. It stated that it has met with the management and assessed the benefits to be enjoyed by students as a result of the increment.

The Union ended the release on this note: ‘We recognise the financial implications of these developments and do not take the concerns of students lightly. Our responsibility extends beyond communicating institutional decisions; it includes ensuring that Great Ife students’ interests remain represented and that the expected improvements are delivered.

Furthermore, the statement said, ‘We encourage the student community to remain calm and informed as we continue to engage the relevant authorities on matters affecting our collective welfare. The Union remains accessible and committed to representing the interests of every Great Ife student.’