Abuja — The House of Representatives has asked the Federal Government to order the suspension of fee increases in public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, warning that the rising costs could undermine the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND)
The Green Chamber passed the resolution during Tuesday’s plenary following the adoption of a motion sponsored by Ifeoluwa Ehindero, an All Progressives Congress (APC) member from Ondo State.
The motion raised concerns that rising tuition could undermine the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which was designed to help students finance their education.
Ehindero, who chairs the House Committee on NELFUND, said several public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education had recently increased tuition and other compulsory charges, with some hikes reportedly exceeding 100 per cent.
He warned that sudden increases could weaken the loan scheme’s ability to support students, particularly those from low-income families.
The lawmaker said the increases had, in some cases, been introduced without broad consultation or adequate consideration of the economic pressures facing households.
He added that unchecked fee increases could deepen inequality in access to education, increase student dropouts and trigger unrest on campuses.
The House consequently urged the Federal Government to consider raising financial allocations to public tertiary institutions to reduce their reliance on revenue generated from student charges.
It called on the Education Ministry and the NUC to engage institutional managements on suspending fee increases and conducting a comprehensive review of tuition structure.
Consequently, the lower legislative chamber mandated the committees on university education, federal polytechnics and higher technical education, and federal colleges of education to investigate the extent and justification for recent fee increases across public tertiary institutions.
The proposed investigation is expected to examine the reasons for the hikes and whether the additional charges are justified, while considering the need to keep higher education accessible to students from less affluent backgrounds.
-9News Nigeria.
