The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has rejected the
introduction of N2,500 as admission screening fee by the Federal
Government, through the Ministry of Education.
Mr Gbenga Ayenuro, NANS Vice President, said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Akure on Friday.
“NANS, which has been, and will always be, at the forefront of any
and every kind of exploitation of Nigerian students in any guise was
relieved by the recent ban on post-UTME.
“As it was a long overdue decision to end the exploitation of prospectively- Nigerian students seeking admission.
“And it was a policy that endeared the Federal Government to the
hearts of Nigerian masses; it was widely jubilated and welcomed by all
concerned stakeholders in the Nigerian education sector,” he said.
According to him, it is surprising, appalling, anti-masses and
unethical, for the federal government to submit to pressure from the
heads of tertiary institutions by introducing the post-UTME screening
fee.
He noted that the policy somersault was tantamount to the government
being insensitive to the growing economic meltdown being experienced by
parents and guardians of prospective students all over the country.
Ayenuro said that NANS viewed the introduction of the post-UTME
screening fee as another way of extorting and exploiting potential
students.
He alleged that it was another avenue of enriching management of
various tertiary institutions across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
“Nigerian students can no longer keep mute in the face of the general hardship confronting the Nigerian masses.
“Our parents and guardians have become incapable of sending us stipends for our upkeep let alone of paying for our tuition fees.
“The food and provision stores in all our various campuses are
undergoing abysmally low patronage from students due to the ever
increasing high price tag of virtually all commodities.
“We cannot continue to keep mute while our future is being mortgaged
and short changed by this present administration,’’ he alleged.
Ayenuro therefore issued a three-working day ultimatum to the
ministry to reverse its decision on imposition of post-UTME screening
fee as the most important stakeholder in the Nigerian education sector.
He said that failure to reverse the new policy would result in a
peaceful protest at the Ministry of Education, Abuja, at a date to be
announced.
NAN
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