The Federal Government has not increased tuition fee in any of its funded universities as tuition remains free.
This is as the presidency revealed that it has not introduced tuition fee in any of the institutions, despite the hike in ancillary fees at several universities nationwide.
The CRUX reported that Federal Government-owned University of Lagos (UNILAG) recently hiked the fees payable by its students at over 100 per cent amidst similar increments in Federal Government Unity Schools.
This has generated outrage among parents and stakeholders who expressed rejections to the increments at the time Nigerians are confronted with hardship from harsh economic policies of the government.
A statement on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Mr Dele Alake, said Federal universities remain tuition-free
Alake added that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is also working on other measures to make education reachable to all, besides the Students’ Loans Scheme.
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Reacting to the wrong understanding of what recently happened in some federal universities, where fees have been hiked, the Presidency explained that the tuition item on the list of payable fees of such school remains remains without a price-tag.
“It was widely reported earlier this week across some news media outlets that the Federal Government had increased tuition fees in federal universities in the country.
It said the authorities of these universities had explained the rationale behind these new fees, adding that the Bola Tinubu administration “remains committed to his promise of ensuring that every Nigerian, regardless of the economic situation of their parents, has access to quality tertiary education.”
In addition to the Students’ Loans Scheme, under the Student Loans Bill signed into law by President Tinubu in June, which will go into implementation ahead of the next academic session in September, Alake said the Federal Government will also strengthen other mechanisms to support indigent students.
“Parts of the government’s plans to make sure all diligent students complete their education on time, notwithstanding their parents’ financial situation, include work-study, merit-based scholarships and grants,” he revealed.