Needless Fee Crises In Ondo Higher Institutions

THE crises that greeted the increase in the fees payable in Ondo State owned tertiary institutions, particularly the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) which took most of 2018 has again raised its ugly head with the protests by the students of the institution forcing the authorities to announce a compulsory mid-semester break for them. Similar protests were staged by students of the sister institution, the Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa (OSUSTECH) leading to the announcement of similar mid-semester break by the authorities. Fears are rife that, if not urgently curtailed, similar crises may erupt in the three other higher institutions owned by state namely: University of Medical Sciences, Ondo (UNIMED), Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo (RUGIPO), and the Schools of Nursing and Midwifery, Akure. Authorities of Adekunle Ajasin University have closed down the institution indefinitely for fear of another student protests of the school fees.

IT would be recalled that the immediate past administration in the state led by Olusegun Mimiko played huge politics with the fees charged in the institutions by having a policy of disparity as it affects the institutions. For instance, while OSUSTECH students were paying an average of N150,000 and UNIMED students paying about N300,000, AAUA and RUGIPO students were paying an average of N26,000 and N60,000 respectively making the then administration to claim that it was charging the lowest fees among the higher institutions in Nigeria.

WHILE the then government was using this as a political weapon, it failed to address the unsustainability of the fees in AAUA and RUGIPO as the institutions could barely meet their minimal daily financial obligations let alone paying staff salaries. This was compounded by the non-release of subventions to the tertiary institutions by the same government for almost a year making unpaid salaries to accumulate for several months.

IT was against this backdrop, THE HOPE observes, that the current administration decided to tackle the politics surrounding the fees regime frontally by approving the upward review of the fees in AAUA and RUGIPO by their respective governing councils. This did not affect other institutions whose fees were higher even as at the time of the Mimiko administration. Expectedly, the upward review generated some crises which led to protests by the students running to weeks and disrupting academic calendar for months.  This forced the government to wade in by directing a further reduction in the new fees after reaching agreement with the students’ leadership over the matter. Consequently, the matter was laid to rest and students began to comply since last session.

HOWEVER, a fresh crisis erupted in AAUA on April 23, 2019 when some students were allegedly prevented from writing tests in their general studies (GST) courses preparatory to the First Semester examinations scheduled to commence on May 6, 2019.  A protest that ensued was spearheaded by the 200 Level students of the institution whose turn it was to write the said test that day. This led to the immediate closure of the university as students were directed to proceed on mid-semester break to resume on May 20, 2019. Two days after, students of OSUSTECH were also sent packing as result of similar protests.

THE HOPE is of the opinion that the managements of the universities should be blamed for not displaying competence in handling the crises. This is because they were not proactive enough by troubleshooting ahead of time giving the warning signals from the students about the protests. The managements are guilty of policy summersault in the administration of fees and registration processes by not sticking to deadlines in this matter. Students too should be blamed for not subscribing to the sanctity of agreement with their university councils by contesting the fees regime after being implemented for over a session.

 THE protesting students also demonstrated utter disobedience and disregard to the Students Union Government they elected, who preferred to honour the agreement by not contesting the agreed fees. More worrisome was the action of the factional leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) who came to escalate and externalize the crisis by joining the protesting students to demand a downward review of the fees in all the institutions by the state government or face more crises.

WE suspect that the protest was being propelled externally as the way and manner it started with the coordination without the support of the leadership of the student left room for suspicion.

THE HOPE urged the managements of the institutions to go back to the drawing board and ensure that all parties implement the agreed fees. They should also toe the line of peace as demonstrated by the state Governor who ordered the immediate release of the students who were arrested during the protests. Thus, the managements should ensure that no student is victimized for participating in the protest in the interest of peace. They should also strengthen the existing policies that will prevent similar crisis and introduce new ones, if need, be as this crisis, this time around, is needless.