It was reported by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Kaduna State University (KASU) chapter that about 75 percent of the university’s students may drop out of school due to the whacking increase in tuition fees. The university had been directed by the state government to immediately increase the tuition fees by over 500 percent; from N24,000 to N150,000 for each student.
This is very unfortunate considering the high level of hardship in the country; imagine somebody who campaigned to offer free education taking such a decision! El-Rufa’I should know that education is a right and not a privilege; funding of education as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution is the sole responsibility of government, not parents?
Thus, it appears El-rufa’i is up to something, because it’s his responsibility to provide Kaduna state populace with free and qualitative education and not jeopardise their life by paying outrageous fees.
Really, the aim is to increase in their plight because 99 percent of these students are less privileged; majority of them are sons and daughters of peasant farmers, petty traders, vendors, and few are civil servants, that are living from hand to mouth. How will you expect them to pay such amount, where do they find it?
Many of these parents cannot afford to pay; then tell me where they will go when they drop out of school? El-Rufa’i should at least consider the nation’s security challenges. God forbid, if many of these students drop out, they may join the terrorists group because of depression as the insecurity challenge the nation is experiencing is due to lack of education.
This is the first time in Nigeria that students will pay nearly N300,000 in a public university. In fact, there are private universities whose tuition fees are less. This a clear indication that the governor is up to something and not after citizens’ welfare. El-Rufa’i has sacked most of their parents and guardians and now wants to throw their wards out of school forgetting their every day struggle against the current economic downturn.
Again, this may have negative impact on the government’s quest to develop viable human capital and defeat government’s effort in reducing the number of employed youths. It can also contribute to the rising insecurity in the nation in terms of Boko Haram insurgency, thuggery, banditry and kidnappings, cyber security, etc.
I, therefore, call on the civil societies, traditional rulers and every stakeholder to immediately intervene in the matter with a view to averting the impending doom that may arise from the situation. ASUU, particularly Kaduna state chapter, and the Kaduna state university management should reject planned increase as it could worsen the already bad national insecurity.
Jenet Francis Upuh,
Department of Mass Communication,
University of Maiduguri
