Education

Fee hike: FUTA postpones students’ resumption, shuts campus indefinitely

The management of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) in Ondo State has ordered the indefinite postponement of the resumption of students for the 2023/2024 academic session.

This was contained in a statement issued by the institution’s Director of Corporate Communication, Adegbenro Adebanjo, on Monday, January 15, 2024.

Adebanjo said the management also directed all students currently on campus and in hostels within the university to vacate them within 24 hours.

The development followed a protest by the students of the university against the decision of the institution’s management to increase tuition fees.

The students had, on Monday, staged a peaceful protest, alleging that the university’s management increased the tuition fees despite economic hardship in the country.

Adebanjo, however, said the university’s management directed that registration and payment of fees of all returning students for the academic session via the university portal, scheduled to commence on Monday, be put on hold.

He noted that the university had yet to open the portal for returning students for the new session, contrary to what was being bandied in the public domain.

The FUTA spokesman denied the alleged increment in school fees by the university management, saying tuition was free.

Adebanjo stated: “On the proposed new fees and charges, they are mainly for students-related services which are sourced from the economy.

“And the costs of such goods and services provided by the university for the students will certainly be impacted by costs of goods and services in the economy.

“To ensure the smooth running of the university, certain consumables and payments for municipal services such as electricity, water, hostel maintenance and cleaning, and sundry other services are necessary.

“And the costs of providing the services have shot up and the new charges are in response to this.

“Other costs that were adjusted as a result of economic reality include medical examination for all new students, biometric identity cards, and Tertiary Institutions’ Students Health Insurance Programme, administered by NHIS for students and final yearbook.

“The management reiterates that tuition remains free for all students and that it has inbuilt mechanism within the system to look into and build consensus on matters affecting students, including charges and fees.

“And that mechanism is working on this matter and consensus will be achieved.”

The Star