Management of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) has ordered indefinite postponement of the resumption of students for the 2023–2024 academic session, following the last Monday's massive protest by students over alleged 300percent hike in the tuition fees being charged by the Institution
Director of Corporate Communication of the university, Adegbenro Adebanjo who announced the postponement in a statement made available to newsmen, directed all students on campus and in hostels to vacate within 24 hours.
Adebanjo in the statement,says “tuition for students is free but that certain consumables and payments for municipal services were increased.
According to him, “registration of returning students via the university portal and payment of fees by all returning students for the new academic session via the portal scheduled to begin on Monday, January 15, 2024, will be put on hold.
It is important to state that the university did not open the portal for registration for returning students for the new session, contrary to what was being bandied in the public domain", the university clarified in the statement
“On the proposed new fees and charges, they are mainly for student-related services that 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 the costs of goods and services in the economy.
“To ensure 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 examinations for all new students, biometric ID cards, the Tertiary Institutions Students Health Insurance Programme (TISHIP) administered by NHIS for students, and the final year book. It is important to say that tuition is free and no money is being charged as a tuition fee.
Adebanjo added that “The management reiterates that tuition remains free for all students and that it has an 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.”
Edu-Biznews recalled that angry students had shut the school gates as early as 6:30 a.m. on Monday, barricading the busy Akure-Ilesa highway and called for the immediate reversal of the hike by the university authorities.
They displayed placards with various inscriptions and chanting solidarity songs, the students insisted that “the management must return to the status quo; otherwise, the protest will continue until the reversal by the authorities.
Speaking on the protest, the President of the FUTA Student Union (FUTASU), Comrade Olayemi Oluwasoromidayo, said that “it was unwise for the institution to make the move in view of the current economic challenges in the country.
Oluwasoromidayo who claimed that the university had less than a year ago increased the fees before fresh development, said that “the student body had met with the management countless times, but it refused to yield to their demands, hence their decision to stage a protest.
“The management had increased the school fees to over N200,000 for fresh students, while old students who were paying N35,000 would now pay N130,000" the union president stated
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