TASUED students kick, as mgt increases tuition to N240,000

Students of the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun, Ogun State, on Monday staged a peaceful protest to kick against the increment in the institution's tuition fee.

The protesting students lamented that the fees payable by students per session had been hiked from N65,000 to N240,000.

It was gathered that the returning students who were expecting to pay N65,000 will now pay N180,000, while fresh students are to pay N240,000 aside from other fees.

The students, armed with placards, with various inscriptions, chanted solidarity songs and marched within the premises of the university.

In a statement jointly signed by the SUG President, Akinjetan Hammed, and the Public Relations Officer, Olarewaju Olawale, the students were urged to stand together and say no to the increment.

“Our attention has been drawn to the university’s decision to increase the school fees on the portal. As the Student Union, it is our duty to advocate for the best interests of the student body. 

“We firmly believe that this fee increment is unjust and places unnecessary burden on students.

“Education is a right, and it should be accessible to all. We want to assure you that we are actively working to address this issue. We will engage in communication with the university administration to express our concerns and negotiate for a fair and affordable education.

“In the meantime, we encourage each and every one of you to stand together and say NO to this fee increment. We must unite as a strong and collective voice to make our concerns heard. Remember, change happens when we come together and take action. Together, we can make a difference,” he said.

TASUED Registrar, Dapo Oke, while confirming the protest, claimed the fee increment was the “barest minimum in reality with the existing market forces”

“We had a peaceful students protest. They have brought their grievances to the university management and we have received their grievances. We have asked them to channel their complaints through the appropriate channel, that is through their union leaders. We are going to invite them for necessary consultation,” Oke said.

“In the entire South West, which state university is charging as low as N100,000. We have been collecting N65,000, when some secondary school children pay N100,000 per term and there are three terms in a year. But our university students are paying as low as N65,000 for a whole year. Is that enough to buy laboratory equipment, to pay staff salaries or to run on diesel 24 hours? These are issues that necessitated the increase, and before we made the increase, we have discussed with the Students Union Government, we’ve made them realize it, but definitely they would still make their complaints. We will listen to their complaints, we will inform government. At the end of the day, we will come to a conclusion.

He added that TASUED cannot afford to offer less-than-satisfactory academic programmes in comparison to those offered by other universities.

“So, we have to charge economic fees. What we have charged is the barest minimum in reality with the existing market forces,” he emphasised.

Oke praised the students for their calm protest, claiming that it had no effect on the current examination and that the level of maturity would be taken into account during consultations.