According to the management of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, the decision to raise the school fees for returning and new students is a response to the current economic situation in the country.
Tope Abiola, the school’s Spokesperson, provided the management’s perspective on the recent controversy in the school during a telephone interview with NewsNow on Friday.
For the 2023/24 academic session, the Osun Poly management approved an increase in fees for the regular program. Science, Technology, and Engineering Students will now pay N150,000, while Finance and Management Studies students will pay N147,500 on an installment basis.
Abiola’s response came after the outcry from OsunPoly students and the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, on Wednesday.
NANS and the Osun Polytechnic students expressed opposition to the planned tuition fee increment by the institution’s management. Some students even stated that they would withdraw from the school if the decision remained unchanged.
NANS, through its Public Relations Officer, Bamigboye Peter, urged the Osun State Government and OsunPoly, Iree management to reconsider the decision and find a solution.
In response, the OsunPoly spokesperson informed NewsNow that a meeting has been scheduled for Monday between the management and student stakeholders, including NANS.
He emphasized that prior to the increase, OsunPoly had the lowest tuition fees in the Southwest. He stated, “With the current economic reality in the country, there is no way the school can sustain itself with the old school fee rate. Osun State Polytechnic, Iree charges the lowest school fees among institutions in the Southwest, less than the acceptance fees of some higher institutions. This is authoritative.”
He further explained, “In the proposal to the state government, the increment was included in our budget. It was not arbitrarily fixed. It followed all due process for its approval by the government.”
He added, “As a result of this, we are inviting all the stakeholders in student unionism to a meeting on Monday, where we will spell out how we arrived at the decision, we intend to sort it out with them.”
Appealing for peace and reasonableness from NANS and the students, Abiola expressed the hope for a peaceful compromise after Monday’s meeting.