None of our college students will drop out over price hike

The Vice-Chancellor of the College of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Folasade Ogunsola, has assured that no scholar of the institution- “contemporary or returning, will drop out of the college because of the increment in charges.”

Talking at a press briefing Saturday by way of Zoom, Mrs Ogunsola defined that the increment is inevitable for the sustainability of the college and to proceed to ship high quality schooling.

The scholars have been protesting the choice of the college to extend the payable charges from N26,000 and about N76,000 to between N120,750 and N240,250 relying on the programs of research and ranges.

In line with Mrs Ogunsola, the college has an enrollment of about 35,000 postgraduate and undergraduate college students and “the price of operating the establishment has astronomically gone up because of the excessive inflation within the nation, removing of subsidy on petroleum, amongst different causes.

Nevertheless, to make sure college students don’t drop out of the college, Mrs Ogunsola highlighted that the college will undertake measures akin to scholarship alternatives, work-study programmes, and instalment cost choices, amongst others.

Causes for increment

Mrs Ogunsola famous that the college is “failing on its many obligations”, particularly when it comes to employees welfare and that is resulting in a “tsunami of resignations” by each educational and non-academic employees.

She stated the college’s lack of ability to help employees to constantly enhance themselves to present again to college students has continued to hinder high quality service supply.

“Now we’ve employees that don’t really feel the affect of the college. Lots of employees are very upset as a result of they don’t seem to be being taken care of by the college. They’re resigning in droves. This previous week, 5 individuals resigned and it’s a tsunami of resignation right here,” she stated

Explaining additional, the vice-chancellor stated regardless of the federal government paying the salaries of the college employees, the funds generated in a 12 months couldn’t run the college efficiently for a month.

She stated because of the excessive inflation in Nigeria, the establishment wanted to introduce new charges for its sustenance after they’d a gathering with the college council and the concept was to have a look at all of the charges and assessment them.

She stated whereas they get N150m each year as an overhead price, the college’s electrical energy invoice is about N1.7 billion each year aside from different bills.

She stated; “Aside from electrical energy, we confirm outcomes by examination our bodies for over N3,000 per scholar, and we conduct examinations which price about N80 million per 12 months. Every of the college incurs one other N3.5 million. So for examinations alone, we do roughly N140 million yearly.

“62 million is paid for the accreditation of our programmes yearly. The scholar cost doesn’t even cowl our electrical energy invoice.”

Measures to ease cost

In line with the vice-chancellor, the measures to ease the cost of charges embrace an instalment cost choice, scholarship, revitalisation of a work-study programme, help to indigent college students, and partnership with Lagos Bus Fast Transport System.

The college stated: “The price cost system has been re-configured to permit the installment cost choice: 3 times earlier than the closure of the tutorial 12 months.

“The scholar work-study programme has been revitalised to accommodate elevated remuneration. college students can entry the programme by way of the workplace of the dean of the coed affairs division.

“College students have the chance to entry numerous scholarship alternatives together with the UNILAG Students Award for exceptionally good college students, by way of the workplace of the Dean, Pupil Affairs Division.”

To help indigent college students, the college stated with the help of its donor-partners, it has expanded its help programme for eligible indigent college students which incorporates the availability of funds, meal tickets, and uncooked meals gadgets.

The college famous that one other measure is the “Triple A Mission” put in place for alumni and well-meaning Nigerians to undertake a scholar, including that the college has deployed the “Pay for Mentors Mission” for sensible college students.

“By this challenge, exceptionally good college students chosen as mentors for different college students will get ample remuneration,” it stated.

To facilitate ease of transportation, the college administration additionally stated it has secured approval from Lagos State for a further BRT devoted route for individuals who come from the Berger Bus Cease axis of Lagos State, whereas they’re in discussions to produce other routes akin to Oshodi and Iyana Ipaja included.

College students threaten one other protest

In the meantime, the management of the Nationwide Affiliation of Nigerian College students (NANS) on Friday gave the college a 48-hour ultimatum to reverse the elevated faculty charges.

One of many leaders of the union- Ekundina Elvis, referred to as on the college to reverse the charges as earlier agreed on 2 August in a gathering with the joint physique of scholars and administration employees of the college.

The scholar threatened to hit “the UNILAG gates once more”, acknowledging the directive of the federal authorities asking authorities of tertiary establishments to halt price increments.

The assertion learn in elements: “Nevertheless, we insist that the federal authorities should transcend this lip service and handle the problem of underfunding of schooling.

“The introduction of the College students Mortgage Act and the insignificant budgetary allocation to schooling is a superb indictment and casts nice aspersion on the federal government’s resolve to confront the deteriorating state of our establishments.”

The scholar additionally decried the police involvement in its protest on Wednesday.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how two college students, recognized as Femi Adeyeye, and Philip Olatinwo, had been arrested by the police in the course of the protest.

READ ALSO: Police arrest two, hearth teargas at protesting UNILAG college students

NANS stated: “We wish to state that the repression that was meted out on our protest yesterday in what we greatest time period an ‘absurd’ astronomical improve in charges payable on the College of Lagos is condemnable and the peak of recklessness on the a part of the Police Pressure.

“Going so far as dispersing a peaceable gathering of scholars in opposition to the absurdity is in itself an absurdity and, as an affiliation, we condemn it in clear phrases.”