The Vice Chancellor of the University says the increment is necessary due to lack of funding from Federal Government.
Medical students of the University of Ibadan have started a protest as the school management increased their accommodation fee from N14,000 to N30,000.
The university management announced the over 100 percent increase in accommodation fee on the school website on Wednesday, April 4, 2018.
While protesting, the students reportedly locked the halls’ gates to express their displeasure over what they consider as “inhumane development” from the management.
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A student who spoke to newsmen under the condition of anonymity said the fees hike is an attack on poor students.
“I believe this increment is a direct attack on all students in the university, especially the poor who cannot afford it. Over the years, the University management has been complaining of insufficient funding of the universities, but it has refused to be transparent on how much it takes to run the university, nor what direct impact these unbearable levies will have on our learning experience. They want us to pay more for less,” he said.
Another student, who chose to be anonymous to avoid victimisation said, “nothing has been done for students to see as the reason for the increment. We live in a nation where academics is now strictly for the rich. I doubt if this university is still a federal university.”
Some of the protesting students carried placards with different messages such as: ''Say no to hike in fees'', Education is the hope of common man''
Apart from the accommodation fees, the university management has also reportedly introduced “Health Professional Training Levy” which according to SaharaReporters would cost the students over N50, 000.
The hike is necessary- VC
Meanwhile, the University Vice Chancellor, Prof Idowu Olayinka has said that the hike became necessary because of lack of funding from the government.
''It is also important to note that the Federal Government, many years back, had stopped providing funds for the running of the halls. As a result, the university spends about N100 million over what is collected as accommodation fees, for the running of the halls. The university is no longer in a position to continue to provide this subsidy''.
Earlier, before the announcement of the accommodation hike, the University management had expelled 328 students over what it called 'shameful academic performance'
The VC in a statement released on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, blamed the situation on the absence of post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination test before the affected students were admitted into the university.
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