Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, has warned that if the Federal Government does not halt the ongoing fee increases in universities, 40 to 50 percent of students could drop out of school within the next two years.
On Sunday night, Osodeke discussed the state of Nigeria’s education system while speaking on Channels TV.
He predicted that a large number of students would drop out of school because they couldn’t afford the high fees being assessed to students across the country.
“In the next two to three years, more than 40 to 50 percent of these children who are currently enrolled in school will drop out, he warned, if nothing is done about the high fees being implemented by schools across the nation. “
If the president of the universities’ union’s prediction that a significant number of students will drop out of school nationwide is correct, a serious national issue will soon arise.
His argument was that dropping out of school would lead to their becoming idle, which might make them easy pickings for evildoers.
“When they leave school, they will serve as a significant source of new recruits for those who want this nation to be incapable of being governed.
“We are urging you to recreate the atmosphere of the 1960s and 1970s. The government paid me while I was a student in order to support my education. Let’s create a setting where poor children can access education.
How are the kids of someone making N50,000 per month supposed to pay school fees of N300,000?
He urged the government to increase funding for education to at least 15% of the total budget, though.
He lamented that the 3.8 percent allocated to education in the previous budget was nothing to write home about, claiming that with an increase in budget allocation to education, parents would no longer be responsible for paying high tuition for their children.
He continued, expressing doubt that the government’s student loan policy would be successful. In order for the loan policy to be effective, he added, it must be reviewed.
“You need to be thorough when discussing student loans. Nothing indicates that it would be effective.
“There should be a review. Examine what occurred in the past and consider how to proceed. But for us, the idea is to refer to it as a grant rather than a loan.
“If you look at the requirements, 90% of the students will not be eligible for that loan. It’s a harsh requirement that you have parents who make less than N500,000 annually. He asked, “How many people make less than N500,000 annually?”.
