The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has vowed to resist plans by any tertiary institution in the country to increase its school fees.
According to the National President of NANS, Mr Chinonso Obasi, who made this known in a statement released on Wednesday in Abuja, the student body had received the report that no fewer than 38 tertiary institutions had concluded plans to jack up tuition fees.
The NANS president said that the association was pained by the move as Nigerian students had over the years been made to bear the brunt of administrative ineptitude of managers of tertiary institutions.
“In saner climes, education funding includes revenue from researches and consultative collaborations.
“Implementat0ion of UNESCO strategies, particularly commercialising research findings should occupy Nigeria educational institutions rather than constant hike in tuition fees payable by hapless students.
“However NANS believes that the planned hike in tuition fees would be the last straw that would break the cycle of obnoxious levy on learning and pursuit of education.’’
Obasi said that the students were made to study under poor conditions in spite their positive contributions to the success of the administration’s key policies and programmes, such as the fight against corruption, maintenance of peace and unity of the country.
He said that Nigerian students did not deserve such harsh punishment as fee increase would further limit the capacity of students to dream of a better future.
It would be recalled that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had on Monday alerted Nigerians to the increase of tuition fees by 38 universities due to poor funding by the federal and state governments. (NAN)
