Criticisms greet proposed tuition fees increase in LAUTECH

Criticisms have trailed the decision by the authority of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, to increase tuition fees by more than 100 per cent.

Against this backdrop, students of the university are poised for a showdown with authorities of the institution over the proposal to increase their tuition fees.

A proposal for the increase, which was signed by the institution’s Acting Registrar and Secretary of Council, Mr. Niyi Fehintola, stated that the move to increase the tuition fees was borne out of the need to meet the rising expenditure of the university.

The proposal obtained exclusively by our correspondent read in part, “The university management, consequent upon increased expenditure, the Federal Government of Nigeria and unions’ salary packages and the need for expansion of facilities in the university, deliberated extensively on the need for a new school fees regime and agreed to make proposal to senate commencing from the 2010-2011acadmic session as follows.”

The proposal sought an increase from N50, 000 to N115, 000 for indigenes offering pre-degree science courses while non-indigenes would pay N125, 000 up from N65, 000 which they were paying before.

100-level indigenous students, who were paying N40, 000 before would pay N100, 000 while non-indigenous students would pay N110, 000 up from N40, 000 they were paying before the proposal.

Some students, who spoke with our correspondent on Tuesday, condemned the proposal to increase the tuition fees of the school, saying education should not be an exclusive preserve of the rich.

A student, who pleaded anonymity, said “LAUTECH is the hope of the common man for good education. Most of our parents cannot afford to pay the exorbitant fees proposed by the institution.We beg the management to reconsider its stand on the issue.”

Spokesperson of the university, Mr. Yomi Akintunde, who spoke with our correspondent in a telephone interview, on Tuesday said the proposed tuition fees would affect only 100-level students and pre-degree students, stressing that 200-level, 300-level, 400-level and 500-level students would be exempted from the new regime of fees.

On why Oyo took the decision to unilaterally increase the fees, Akintunde said Oyo and Osun states would go their separate ways on December 31, 2010, stressing that there was no reason for Oyo to inform Osun of the increase when the university would be solely owned by Oyo in January next year.

Source:www.punch.ng.com