The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has advocated for a reduction in school fees all over the country’s tertiary institutions to mitigate the effects of the elimination of fuel subsidies on students.
The North Central Zone Coordinator, NANS, Shedrack Anzaku, said this in Abuja on Thursday while speaking with newsmen at the official declaration of Deniran Rioborue as an aspirant for NANS National President.
Anzaku said, “What the association expects is school fees reduction and not increment because the rate of dropout is increasing.
“We frown on all forms of school fees increment at a time like this when there is increased hardship across the country.
“We find it hard to understand the increment because diesel is what schools use mostly and the price of diesel has reduced, so we expect reduction in all ramifications.”
Anzaku recalled that when he was talking with the President, Students Union Government, Bida Polytechnic, last week, students in that school had not resumed due to hike in school fees.
He added that in spite of the fact that the rector reduced the school fees by N10,000, students had not resumed.
He said this led the NANS leadership to write to the National Universities Commission, to prevail on tertiary institutions to reduce school fees.
He, however, commended the Federal Government for the introduction of student loan law to ease the education burden on students.
“We also kick against hike in school fees on account of the students’ loan initiative because it is meant to assist students to get a proper education.
“We have written to the NUC to call on schools to reduce school fees else we will protest in large numbers.
We are going on a campus tour to talk to vice-chancellors, rectors and provosts to reduce school fees,” he added.