Some students of the Kogi State Polytechnic Lokoja have accused the management of the institution of being exploitative following the increment of their tuition fees.
This development has caused panic among the students who confided in our correspondent that they are set for a showdown with the institution, if management fails to revert to the old tuition.
We reliably gathered that there is a clear disparity in the fee payment depending on the course of studies and level of the student.
A breakdown of the draconian fee as obtained by our correspondent on Monday showed that, for the School of Management Studies which comprises of Accounting, Business Administration, and Public Administration, National Diploma I and II students indigenes and non indigenes are now expected to pay N38,250, N45,750, N38,250, 45,750 respectively instead of what was paid last year which was put at N32,200, N39,200, N24,200 and N31,600 respectively.
For Higher National Diploma, HNDI, under school of Management Studies, Dthe students were previously paying N38,000 and N49,000 for indigene and non indigenes, but in the new tuition formula, they are to pay N43,550 and 54,550 representing N5,550 increment.
Also, for HND II under Management Studies, instead of N30,000 and N41,000 respectively, students are now expected to pay N39,050, and 50,050 respectively indicating N9050 increment.
Similarly, for School of Applied Science consisting of Art, Design and Printing, Engineering, Environmental Technology Science, Office Technology Management and Library and Information, instead of paying N40,200, and N47,600 (NDI Indigenes and Non Indigenes), N32,200 N39,600, (NDII Indigenes and Non Indigenes), students are now expected to pay N46,250, N53,650, N40,250, and 47,650 for NDI and NDII Indigenes and Non Indigenes respectively.
In the same vein, HND I and II students of School of Applied Science indigenes and non indigenes are now expected to pay N51,550, N62,550, N47,050, and N58,050 respectively instead of their previous payment of N46,000, 57,000, N30,000 and N40,000 respectively.
Worried by the unfavourable environment and harsh economic condition ravaging the state and the country in general, some of the students who spoke to Daily Post described the hike as wickedness and an act of evil disposition from the side of the management.
The students, who craved anonymity over fear of being hunted, also accused the student union leadership of compromising with the school management for their selfish interests.
“We have lost confidence in the leadership of our student union. This set of student representatives is the worst in the Polytechnic’s history. Instead of fighting for the course of our students, they are fighting for their own pockets. Later, they start blaming leaders at the top that they are corrupt, meanwhile at the bottom, they are more corrupt than those at the top.
“Can you imagine, some of our students like me who is a lady knows what we pass through to get money to buy our text book, feed ourselves as well as paying our school fees. With this increase now, where do they want us to go and get this money bearing in mind that the economy is not funny?,” she stated.
It was however gathered that the Student Union Government (SUG) is yet to officially come out to state their position on the matter.
In a chat with the institution Public Relations Officer, Mr Luke Yakubu, he said the management of the polytechnic did not increase school fee as widely speculated by the students.
According to him, the institution only added some fees which includes result verification, convocation fee, entrepreneurship center and insurance fee.
“Kogi State Polytechnic school fee still remains the same. There is no increment as widely speculated in some quarters. The management, after interfacing with the students, added result verification, convocation fee, entrepreneurship center and insurance fee which is for the interest of the students.
“I am shocked to hear this news that we have increased tuition fee. It is not true. Kogi State Polytechnic fee as I speak to you is the lowest in the north central zone,” he said.
Aside the fee hike, another course of worries for the students is the lack of hostel accommodation in the polytechnic.
It was reliable gathered that, Kogi State Polytechnic has been without hostel accommodation since 2017 thereby exposing students to all manner of insecurity.
With the latest trend of fee increment, students say things may get worse as in the last three years when there was no space to accommodate students within the school premises, some student living outside the school campus were subjected to rape, battering, theft, and cult related activities.
They are however calling on the management to do the needful as further move on this without considering the plight of the students will be openly rejected which might lead to some form of unrest in the polytechnic.
Credit Daily Post
