By Boluwatife Adedokun
The students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun state have protested against the recent increment in tuition fees.
The students trooped out en masse at the entrance of the school gate early in the morning yesterday, holding placards expressing their grievances.
The protest is also supported by the state wing of the National Association of Nigerian Students, protesting for increment in both fresh and returning students’ tuition fee; the management insisted the increment only affects the fresh students.
In a statement signed by the Chairman and Public Relations Officer of NANS, Ogun Joint Campus Committee, Damilola Kehinde and Olufemi Owoeye, the students accused the management of saying education is not for the poor.
The statement read in part “We are disheartened to converge here today, not for celebration but to decry the suffering and panic the management of MAPOLY has subjected us to as students. Our offense as Nigerian students is that we want to be educated and the Dr Adeoye Odedeji-led management of MAPOLY is saying education is not for the poor.
“Few months ago, in the last academic session, tuition fees for both the National Diploma and the Higher National Diploma students were increased, including part time students, whose figure was not accurately given. We resisted this increment and came to a benchmark of reduction in the initially added amount after due consultation.
“The clear promise made to the student body by Dr Odedeji and other members of the management team was that there would no longer be an increment. At least, not in his own time as the acting Rector. Little did we know that he was only waiting for the state government to confirm his appointment as substantive Rector before unveiling his policy to make MAPOLY unaffordable for the masses.
“Without considering the economic conditions of parents and guardians, tuition fees were increased outrageously again for two consecutive sessions. This is the highest level of discomfort any management could think of putting the students through.
While breaking down the increment, NANS released; Acceptance Fee (science students) N25,500 increased to N35,500; ND N55,000 and HND N51,000 increased to N62,000 and N58,000 respectively; Fresh students (non-science students) ND N51,000 and HND N46,000 increased to N58,000 and N53,000 respectively; Returning students (science) N46,000 for both ND and HND increased to N53,000; Returning students (non-science) N41,000 for both ND and HND increased to N48,000.
Speaking to newsmen on Monday, the Dean of Divisions of Students Affairs, Dr. Segun Aninkan explained that fresh students are only affected.
He said “Nobody has increased the tuition or any fee for the students. What is added is for potential students, that we don’t even know yet. But some people believe that because they have done their ND and they’re coming back for HND, they should hold the polytechnic down,” the Dean said.
“What was added was N20,000 registration fee for fresh students which we’re yet to get.
“And because of agitations here and there, it has been slashed to N10,000 naira. Yesterday (Sunday), for more than five hours, we were having a meeting. Our students (the Students’ Union Government) are not involved (in the protest), but some people under the guise of NANS believe they must truncate the examinations.
“The money does not affect the current students,” Dr Aninkan added. He noted that even if NANS wanted to solidarize with the affected potential students, “it’s still by the way of plea.”
He noted that the N35,500 alleged increase had been like that for some time and not recently increased.
