The House of Representatives has asked the Federal Government to increase subsidies to public tertiary institutions, so that schools rely less on student charges for internally generated revenue.
The resolution followed a motion by Hon. Ifeoluwa Babajide Ehindero, who represents Akoko North-East/Akoko North-West Federal Constituency, on the rising cost of tuition and other charges.
Considered at plenary on Tuesday, the motion raised concern over reported fee increases of more than 100 per cent in some public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
It warned that such hikes could shut out students from poor backgrounds.
Hon. Ehindero drew attention to Section 18 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which directs government policy towards equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels.
He also cited the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), set up to give interest-free loans to eligible students and ease the financial burden of tertiary education.
In a statement on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Blessing James Akeju, the lawmaker said steep increases in institutional charges could weaken the effectiveness and sustainability of student loan schemes, especially where existing tuition benchmarks and cost structures do not reflect the new charges.
“Access to higher education should not become increasingly difficult for Nigerian students because of sudden and substantial increases in institutional charges. While we recognise the financial pressures facing our institutions, there must be a careful balance between institutional sustainability and the ability of ordinary Nigerian families to afford education,” he said.
He called for consultation, transparency and a thorough review of fee structures in line with current economic realities.
“Student financing initiatives such as NELFUND are intended to reduce financial barriers to education. However, when charges rise sharply without adequate consideration of students’ circumstances, the very objective of widening access to higher education may be weakened. We must ensure that students are not pushed out of school because their families can no longer meet the cost,” he added.
Hon. Ehindero said protecting students’ access to education requires sustained collaboration among the Federal Government, regulatory agencies, institutional managements and other stakeholders.
He stressed that the aim was not to ignore the financial needs of tertiary institutions, but to ensure that fee policies are transparent, justified and sensitive to the realities facing students and their families.
After deliberation, the House also urged the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to engage the management of public tertiary institutions with a view to suspending fee increases and carrying out a full review of tuition structures.
The House further mandated its Committees on University Education, Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, and Federal Colleges of Education to investigate the extent of, and justification for, the recent fee increases.
The motion was referred to the relevant committees for further legislative action.
