Students of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, on Monday expressed their anger in a protest over the increments of school fees.
Following the announcement on the portal, the students who carried placards with various inscriptions rejected the hike from N76,500 to 180,000 for those in education, and N90,500 to N230,000 for those in pure and applied science.
The thousands of students mobilized by the students’ union government of the university described the action as “unjust and places an unnecessary burden on students.”
In a statement jointly signed by the SUG President, Akinjetan Hammed, and the Public Relations Officer, Olarewaju Olawale, the students were urged to stand together and say no over the increment.
“Our attention has been drawn to the university’s decision to increase the school fees on the portal. As the Student Union, it is our duty to advocate for the best interests of the student body.
“We firmly believe that this fee increment is unjust and places an unnecessary burden on students.
“Education is a right, and it should be accessible to all. We want to assure you that we are actively working to address this issue. We will engage in communication with the university administration to express our concerns and negotiate for a fair and affordable education.
“In the meantime, we encourage each and every one of you to stand together and say NO to this fee increment. We must unite as a strong and collective voice to make our concerns heard. Remember, change happens when we come together and take action. Together, we can make a difference,” he said.
TASUED Registrar, Dapo Oke, while confirming the protest claimed the fee increment was the “barest minimum in reality with the existing market forces”
“We had a peaceful students protest. They have brought their grievances to the university management and we have received their grievances. We have asked them to channel their complaints through the appproriate channel, that is through their union leaders. We are going to invite them for necessary consultation,” Oke said.
“ In the entire South West, which state university is charging as low as N100,000. We have been collecting N65,000, when some secondary school children pay N100,000 per term and there are three terrms in a year. But our university students are paying as low as N65,000 for a whole year. Is that enough to buy laboratory equipment, to pay staff salaries or to run on diesel 24 hours? These are issues that necessitated the increase, and before we made the increase, we have discussed with the Students Union Government, we’ve made them realise it, but definitely they would still make ther complaints. We will listen to their complaints, we willl inform government. At the end of the day, we will come to a conclusion.
He added that TASUED cannot afford to offer less-than-satisfactory academic programmes in comparison to those offered by other universities.
“So, we have to charge economic fees. What we have charged is the barest minimum in reality with the existing market forces,” he emphasised.
Oke praised the students for their calm protest, claiming that it had no effect on the current examination and that the level of maturity would be taken into account during consultations.
