Daily Independent Online.
*
Thursday, July 01, 2004.
We say “No” to fee hike
We, the members of the Progressive Students’ Alliance,
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), hereby condemn in strong terms, the new move
of the OAU authorities to increase the fees ‘payable’ by students
by at least 400 per cent. The new
fees are introduced in the form of departmental or teaching charges ranging
from N5000 to N30,000. This is
aside from the recent raise of accommodation charge and school fees to N2,590 and N2,000, respectively.
The fee increase is nothing but an attempt to
commercialise education and make university education out of the reach of the
poor who constitute the vast majority of the population. We wish to state that the fees are
uncalled for, anti-people and such increase shows the level of corruption of
the management of the university.
This
satanic and deliberate action is a fall out of President
Obasanjo’s plans to commercialise education. The same government that claims it cannot fund education has
been busy looting the resources of the country which would have been used to
better the lots of the masses in various social service sectors. The over N400 billion used on frivolous
contracts on road rehabilitation and electricity generation can restore the
educational sector (from primary to university) to their early 1980’s
status. While over N100 billion
used on CHOGM and COJA can provide facilities in the universities, which will
provide opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Nigerians seeking university
education. Yet, the government
refused to fund education.
While of course, we acknowledge the fact that the
university, and in fact the whole education sector is under funded by the
capitalist government of Obasanjo, it is however an open hypocrisy for the
university authorities to use such as excuse to send thousands of students to
academic journey of no return.
The same Vice Chancellor that cries wolf about underfunding was the first
VC in Nigeria to implement the no-work no-pay policy of the Federal Government
against the lecturers who went on strike to compel the FG to fund education
properly. The effect of this
callous treatment of workers has resulted in the delay in the release of
students’ results including the finalists who are expecting their call-up
letters to youth service at the end of June. This will also, if it persists, affect the resumption date
of the students the disrupting the calendar of the school.
Moreover, the university authorities have not been
accountable in their financial management. For instance, the university administration, last session
before the introduction of the last increase (less than nine months before the
new increase), the university administration spent about N56 million, out of
the N100 million special grants to the school on purchase of exotic cars for
principal officers of the university and the deans of faculties, while the
transport system of the university is in a shambles. Also, a whopping sum of N13 million was spent on replacement
of furniture in Oduduwa Hall while our lecture rooms have turned into
suffocating centres because of overcrowding. Another N8
million was used on tarring a car park at the Health Centre, while our
library and laboratories have become the ghost of the past. About N25 million was collected from
about 10,000 students for hostel maintenance, yet, electricity supply is more
erratic than ever. The same story goes for water, the sewage system, the
lecture rooms, laboratories, library etc.
If the university is serious about under-funding,
they should make open their account, and join the forces that are clamouring
for proper funding of education.
But as for us, the increase in fees at this time when we are still
questioning the last increase, is nothing but an invitation to crisis by the
authorities.
To this end, we demand:
• Reversal of the decision of the authorities
on the fee hike and immediate reopening of our campus for the new academic
session.
• Immediate payment of the arrears of all staff
so as to get students results released and to forestall industrial unrest on
our campus.
• No to victimization of students and staff
activists, and end to all victimization cases and panels.
• Probing of the financial activities of the
authorities of the OAU by anti-graft bodies e.g. ICPC and EFCC.
• No to commercilaisation of education, for
free, qualitative education at all level with N20,000 bursary.
In conclusion, we call on all Nigerian students to be
ready for a battle with the government and its agencies in school to fight
against education commercilisation and privatization and increase in fees,
among other neo-liberal capitalists policies. This battle, has event will have it is starting in the heart
of the Nigerian students movement (OAU).
Ibraheen
Kola (Karl Marx)
Progressive
Students’ Alliance
OAU
- Ile Ife
Co-ordinator
E:-mail:
[email protected]
