Osun State Government has denied allegation that it increased tuition fee in the state owned tertiary institutions.
The government in a reaction to the protest by some parts of the institutions called on the students to display maturity, sense of responsibility and reality of the situation at hand, in their protest.
A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lani Baderinwa, stated that government has not authorized any increment in the tuition fees in all the state owned tertiary institutions and that only ancillary fees were increased by institutions authorities based on some considerations.
“As at today, the tuition fees of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree and the College of Technology, Esa-Oke remain N25, 000 while that of Osun state College of Education, Ilesa and Ila-Orangun is still N20, 000.
“It is pertinent to remind the people that the Aregbesola government, at its inception and without being persuaded in 2011 reduced the tuition fees of all the state owned tertiary institutions from N45, 000 to N25, 000. Since the reduction in 2011, the government has not put a penny on the tuition fees.
“Government wishes to state that the managements of the tertiary institutions are at liberty to fix extraneous fees and are responsible for its regulation.
“Government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola reiterates its commitment to promoting functional and affordable education, the manifestation of which is the improvement in the standard of education in the state.
The government called on the students to be peaceful and orderly in their protest, saying “it is true that protest is legitimate but they should not be allowed to be hijacked by miscreants and political jobbers who were always looking for such avenue to unleash unpleasant experiences on the people.
