By Charles Obioha Ogbonnaya
Ever since the economy hit the doldrums in the mid eighties, leading to fiscal cutbacks in education budgets, various governments both state and federal have been confronted with the dilemma of funding tertiary and university institutions in order to maintain quality and service delivery  with respect to academic  programmes and facilities such as accommodation, water supply, security, computer training, books, lectures, examinations, library, curriculum review, student admission, staff training, conference attendance and teaching facilities, staff welfare.

Recall that during the oil boom years in the seventies, the sector was heavily regulated as undergraduates literally paid peanuts. Conventional thinking amongst policy makers was that education was for the public good. When the burden of funding education became too heavy for the governments to shoulder alone, various strategies like deregulation gained impetus with the emerging shift in perception of education as a public good; to education for private benefit.

Education was no more perceived as an investment, but a cost. This thinking coincided with the World bank inspired structural adjustment programmes which in its wake urged the universities to adopt cost recovery,  cost-sharing methods, and initiate  income generating activities and profit-oriented commercial ventures to mobilize resources needed for the smooth operation of the university activities.

The measures included the introduction of school charges in the following areas: sharing costs on academic-related matters such as library, computerization of results; departmental related issues such as books, chairs, tables, fans, and air conditioners; student-related issues such as admission and screening; staff-related issues such as training, welfare and promotion, and other school – related issues such as security, vehicle parking spaces, business operation and upkeep of infrastructure.

Deep industry studies by eminent academics reveal that despite the fact of high charges in universities in Nigeria, student enrolment is still on the increase. The stress of geometric student population juxtaposed with pressure on staff and facilities has triggered close to 30 major strike actions championed by the various unions situated within the academic  and students community.

*Student of the Lagos State Univesity protesting hike in school fees

It is in response to this problem that the various  governments have taken the painful but unavoidable option of fee increases.  A sampling of fees charged in some Nigerian universities is indicated thus  Osun State Universty, 180-300,000 Naira; Univeristy of Science and Technology, Ifaki Ekiti, 200,000 Naira University of AdoEkiti (UNAD),100 to 200,000Naira, Kwara State University, 150-200,000 Naira.

Recall that Lagos State government recently hiked tuition fees in LASU showing  that the following courses will attract the new fee regime: Arts/Education (193,000 Naira), Social & Management Sciences (223,750 Naira), Law (250,000Naira), Communication/Transport (238,750Naira), Science (258,750Naira), Engineering (298,750Naira), College of Medicine (348,750Naira).

The calculations by the collective of Vice Chancellors in the South east in 2008 was that it costs an average of 245,000 Naira a year to train the average undergraduate and 129,000 Naira for a post graduate student. This excludes the cost of development of infrastructure. Four years down the line, this projection would have been more than doubled given the current inflationary spiral.

While some of our neighbours  pro rated  students fees on the grounds of being either domestic or non indigene, Abia State University  bucked the trend, by an all inclusive non discriminatory policy of charging a flat rate for all students from between N47,500 and N100,000 per session, depending on the course irrespective of state of origin.

Across the Imo river, non indigenes especially those from other state pay  {150,000naira}while home students pay 30,000 Naira. Before the increase in school fees, ABSU was spending about N150 million per annum on overhead costs, out of which the state government pays N100 million as subvention, while the university provides the balance of N50 million. Presently, the ABSU yearly overhead cost is said to be about N270 million.

No sooner had the ABSU increase announced, than some professional agitators and civil liberty do-gooders, picked up the gauntlet firing incendiary speeches, trying to instigate the students for a confrontation with the authorities.

We urge ABSU students to ignore these self appointed guardians of public morality. Truth of the matter is that some of these activists and parents who claim that cannot pay this moderate local tuition fees, send their children and wards to universities in Ghana and elsewhere they pay eye popping amounts.

That thousands of Nigerian students are studying in tertiary institutions in Ghana is no longer news. But what is of interest is that about N155 billion paid as tuition fees by 71,000 Nigerian students in Ghana funds that country’s economy. The figure is more than the N121 billion yearly budget of federal universities in the country.

According to statistics from the British Council, since 2002, the number of Nigerians studying in the UK increased by 75 per cent. It is, therefore, projected that in2012 the figure, would have increased because of the trends of the education system.

Between 2007 and 2008, on the list of countries sending students to the UK, Nigeria ranked eighth. This kind of fees will definitely be high compared with fees paid in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Yet, an attempt by governments to increase fees has been condemned by parents and resisted by students.

Recently, some Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian universities said Nigerians should stop playing the ostrich by pretending that the government alone could shoulder the overwhelming challenges of education.