The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to increase funding for public tertiary institutions and prevail on them to suspend proposed increases in school fees amid concerns that rising education costs could undermine access to higher education.
The House also urged the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission to engage the management of the institutions on the need to review their tuition structures in line with prevailing economic realities.
The resolutions followed the consideration and adoption of a motion sponsored by the member representing Akoko-South West/Akoko-South East Federal Constituency of Ondo State, Ifeoluwa Ehindero, at Tuesday’s plenary.
The motion, titled “Need to halt the recent increase in school fees by public tertiary institutions and its impact on Nigerian Education Loan Fund,” raised concerns over the implications of rising tuition fees for students and the sustainability of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund scheme.
Ehindero argued that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund was designed around existing tuition benchmarks and institutional cost measures, warning that sudden increases in fees could undermine its objectives.
He said, “Arbitrary or sudden hikes in fees by institutions will undermine the sustainability, equity and effectiveness of the loan programme.”
The lawmaker observed that several public tertiary institutions nationwide, including universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, had recently increased school fees and other mandatory charges, with some institutions imposing hikes of more than 100 per cent.
According to him, the increases were implemented without broad consultation or sufficient consideration of the economic difficulties confronting many Nigerian families.
“Ehindero said, The House observes that the recent and widespread increases in school fees and other mandatory charges by several public tertiary institutions across the country, including universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, in some cases, by over 100 per cent, have been implemented without broad consultation or consideration of the economic realities facing many Nigerian families.
“We are worried that if allowed to continue unchecked, these fee increments may create significant disparities in the allocation of education loans, crowd out students from less affluent backgrounds and frustrate the objectives of NELFUND in bridging access to higher education.”
Ehindero, who chairs the House Committee on NELFUND, warned that continued increases in tuition and other charges could force more students to abandon their studies and trigger unrest on campuses.
He said the trend, if not checked, “may lead to increased student dropouts, campus unrest and overall loss of public confidence in Government’s commitment to affordable education.”
Following an overwhelming vote in support of the motion, the House urged the FG to consider increasing financial subventions to public tertiary institutions to reduce their dependence on internally generated revenue from student charges.
It also called on the Federal Ministry of Education and the NUC to engage the institutions’ management to “suspend school fees increment and initiate a comprehensive review of tuition structures to align with economic realities.”
The House further mandated its Committees on University Education, Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, and Federal Colleges of Education to investigate the extent and justification for the recent increases in school fees across public tertiary institutions.
The proposed review is expected to examine the reasons for the increases and whether the additional charges are justified, against the need to keep higher education within the reach of students from low-income households.