Students of Kaduna State University (KASU) on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest against the sack of their parents from civil service and hike in school fees by Kaduna State Government, describing it as attempt to deny them the right to acquire education.
“We are protesting to draw the attention of the state government to revert to the old fee rates or reduce the feed to a rate that parents and caregiver will be able to pay. This is because most of our students find it difficult to pay the old rate and with this increase, only the children of the elites can afford university education in the state institution,” President, National Association of Science Students, Abubakar Buhari told journalists.
In April, Kaduna State Ministry of Education announced increase of school fees in all its higher education institutions for what it calls efforts to reposition the schools to deliver quality education to meet 21st century challenges.
Prior to the increase, indigenous students pay between N24,000 and N26,000 depending on the course of study, while non-indigenes pay between N31,000 and N36,000.
According to the protesters, the new fee schedule requires returning students to pay a flat rate of N100,000 irrespective of the course of study and indigenisation. For new students, indigenes will pay N150,000 for art and humanities and N171,000 for sciences, while non-indigenes will pay N221,000 minimum.
For social sciences, indigenes will pay N170,000 and non-indigenes N200,000, while indigenes studying medicine will pay N300,000, non-indigenes N400,000.
“I assure you, if these new fees regime is implemented, 75 percent of our students will drop out. The question is must a son of a carpenter become a carpenter? Must a son of a peasant farmer become one? Don’t we have a right to education a social responsibility? The spokesman asked.
He cautioned that the failure of the State government to rescind its decision may heighten insecurity in the state as drop out may venture into sophisticated crimes as means of survival.
He noted that education was kept students away from the street vices including banditry, kidnapping and prostitution, because education was meant to secure their future.
“Our parents are being sacked and we that are trying to acquire education to help them, the government, by increasing the fees is indirectly asking us to also go and sit at home.
“This is not fair. The government should decrease the fees since some of our parents are being sacked and can no longer afford to pay our fees,” he said.