Students protesting at MAPOLY
Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) students in Ogun state stormed out in large numbers to protest the increment in fees.
Many of the students were seen raising placards at the school gate. An ND2 student of the Surveying and Geo Informatics Department who only identified himself as Ayomide, spoke with Ikejabird and described the hike as, “Not good at all.”
“It’s every year they want to increase school fees. That is how they did last year, but this time around, we won’t agree.”
When asked if he thinks the students’ agitations will materialize, he answered in the affirmative.
Ayomide claimed that the school is obligated to listen to them. He added that if the school did not return the fee to its original amount, the students will not hesitate to make it happen by hook or crook because paying the new sum was not convenient.
The National Association of Nigerian Students of the Ogun chapter said the increment affected fresh and returning students, but the management maintained that the increment was only for fresh students.
From what IkejaBird gathered, there’s a difference between the fee breakdown NANS gave and the fee the school management imposed.
The school raised the acceptance fee for science students to 35,500 Naira from 25,500 Naira. Fresh non-science ND students have been asked to pay 58,000 Naira instead of 51,000 Naira.
Likewise, fresh non-science HND students were asked to pay 53,000 Naira instead of 46,000 Naira. The returning science ND and HND students were asked to pay 53,000 Naira instead of 46,000. The returning non-science HND students’ fee was also increased from 41,000 Naira to 48,000 Naira.
Meanwhile, the Dean of Student Affairs, Mr Ajani Sodiq, said only the fresh students were affected as a 20,000 Naira registration fee was added. However, he said the fee has now been slashed to 10,000 because of the students’ outcry.
A student who spoke in anonymity noted that the increment is still a bad move from the school authority, whether all the students were affected or not.
“This is the wrong time to raise the school fee. Is the school management claiming to be unaware of the current inflation rate in the country? Mind you, there is a tendency for us to graduate and be unable to secure befitting jobs. In addition, the educational system in Nigeria is in shambles. This makes it almost impossible for us to study and work at the same time.”
