Why Universities Are Increasing Fees – Ministry of Education

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The ministry says the institutions are introducing fees to cover the cost of accommodation and utilities.

The Federal Ministry of Education says the latest increment in fees by some federal government-owned universities is not connected with the Student Loans Act.

It said the institutions raised their fees to cover the cost of accommodation and utilities.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Andrew Adejo, disclosed this on Tuesday while appearing before an ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives on the implementation of the student loan law.

Some universities run by the federal government recently increased their tuition fees while others indicated plans to do so.

Mr Adejo explained that because of the dissolution of the governing councils of the institutions, the ministry had been in charge of approving fees increment in the absence of the councils.

He stated that the ministry only approved the request by the University of Lagos for fees increment but stopped approving others after President Bola Tinubu said the federal government-owned institutions remained tuition-free.

“What they (universities) collect is charges to cover the cost of accommodation, ICT, power, among others. It is the Governing Councils of the Universities that have the power to approve such charges for them.

“The only university that increased charges after the signing of the Student Loans Act is the University of Lagos. They came to the ministry with a proposal to Increase their charges because all governing councils were dissolved and we gave them approval.

“Immediately that was done, there was a resolution from the House stopping increase of fees and the president also gave a directive stopping any increase in fees and that is where it is, even though several others have brought their proposals,” Mr Adejo said.

To buttress the dire financial situation some schools are in, Mr Adejo cited the case of Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, where the ministry had to bail it out of its N1 billion electricity debt.

The ministry says the institutions are introducing fees to cover the cost of accommodation and utilities.

The Federal Ministry of Education says the latest increment in fees by some federal government-owned universities is not connected with the Student Loans Act.

It said the institutions raised their fees to cover the cost of accommodation and utilities.

The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Andrew Adejo, disclosed this on Tuesday while appearing before an ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives on the implementation of the student loan law.

Some universities run by the federal government recently increased their tuition fees while others indicated plans to do so.

Mr Adejo explained that because of the dissolution of the governing councils of the institutions, the ministry had been in charge of approving fees increment in the absence of the councils.

He stated that the ministry only approved the request by the University of Lagos for fees increment but stopped approving others after President Bola Tinubu said the federal government-owned institutions remained tuition-free.

“What they (universities) collect is charges to cover the cost of accommodation, ICT, power, among others. It is the Governing Councils of the Universities that have the power to approve such charges for them.

“The only university that increased charges after the signing of the Student Loans Act is the University of Lagos. They came to the ministry with a proposal to Increase their charges because all governing councils were dissolved and we gave them approval.

“Immediately that was done, there was a resolution from the House stopping increase of fees and the president also gave a directive stopping any increase in fees and that is where it is, even though several others have brought their proposals,” Mr Adejo said.

To buttress the dire financial situation some schools are in, Mr Adejo cited the case of Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, where the ministry had to bail it out of its N1 billion electricity debt.