AAUA Fee increment: Alumni Pleads With Govt,Students to bend on decision,Says Management Must Be More Prudent and Creative

The Alumni Association of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, is pleading with the Visitor to the Varsity and Governor of the state, Arakunrin Olowarotimi Akeredolu, to reconsider the new school regime for the institution, while urging the students to be malleable on their no-increment position.

It would be recalled that the State Government, last week, through the Governing Council and the Management of AAUA, announced a new school fee regime to be: Faculties of Arts and Education:  Fresh Students N150, 000, Returning Students - N120,000; Faculties of Science, Agric, Social and Management Sciences: Fresh Students - N180, 000, Returning Students - N150, 000; and Faculty of Law: Fresh Students - N200,000, Returning Students - N150, 000. The old fees were between N23,000 and N35,000.

The Alumni Association made the please yesterday in a statement signed by its President, Mr. Patrick Oluyide.

The statement reads, "In appealing to the good conscience of Governor Akeredolu, we would like to say that, progressing in one stride from N23,000 to N200,000 would amount to changing a public institution to a private one overnight. It must also be noted that the majority of the student population are from very humble background and to whom such increase would spell end to their dreams.

“In every way possible, the mathematics of this hike far outweighs the economic capacity of the simple and ordinary people of the state. Such a move could make a well-intentioned initiative counterproductive. Our position is that if there must be an increase, it should be affordable, done in installments and not drastically.”

Commending the level of maturity being deployed by the students to tackle the challenges, the association, however, said, "It is important to also say, that without any reference to what the educational policy of the government of the day could be, the economic environment in which we find ourselves today does require that you reconsider the no- increment position"

The Association pointed out to the University Management that though increment of fee could form part of the Varsitys Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, "For whatever justification, the current increment is exorbitant, astronomical and unrealistic. Increment from N23,000 or N35,000 to N120,000; N150,000; N180,000 and N200,000 is rather unexplainable, especially in a public Institution that has gained reputation for quality and affordability.

"The N51,000 non-refundable acceptance fee for fresh students when added to this increase obviously leaves a sour taste in the mind of several parents who have made such payment in good faith of our reputation of quality and affordability."

It urged the University Management to be "more prudent and frugal in its management of already scarce resources and creatively consider boosting the IGR of the institution, beginning with the production of essential and daily items consumed by the university community and continually seek other sources of revenue, as the public institutions of today cannot no longer depend on a mono-source of income.”