The House of Representatives has moved to check rising charges in public tertiary institutions, warning that steep fee increases could shut poorer students out of higher education and undermine the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
The lawmakers urged the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to engage school authorities on suspending recent hikes and reviewing fees to reflect prevailing economic realities.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Ifeoluwa Ehindero, Chairman of the House Committee on Student Loans, Scholarships and Higher Education Financing, during Tuesday’s plenary.
Ehindero said some universities, polytechnics and colleges of education had raised tuition and compulsory charges by more than 100 per cent, with some increases introduced without adequate consultation or consideration for families struggling with rising living costs.
He warned that unchecked increases could weaken the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), whose interest-free loans are designed to help students finance their education.
According to him, students unable to meet the new charges risk dropping out, while widening costs could deepen inequality in access to tertiary education and trigger unrest on campuses.
The House also called for increased government funding for public institutions to reduce their dependence on fees and other student charges.
It mandated its committees on university education, federal polytechnics and higher technical education, and federal colleges of education to investigate the increases and establish their scale and justification.
The intervention comes amid continuing concerns over the cost of public tertiary education, following reports of sharp increases in institutional charges in recent years.
