Varsity students union, others crowdfund to pay school fees amid hike

As the September 20 deadline for the payment of school fees approaches at the University of Ibadan, many student groups in the institution have reached out to the public to crowdfund to pay for the tuition fees of their members.

The University of Ibadan Student Union (UISU), along with the Faculties of Pharmacy and Nursing, and the Departments of Agronomy, Physiology, and Nutrition Science, have solicited funds to ensure that no student is forced to drop out due to financial hardship, reports Nigerian Tribune.

In a memo jointly signed by UISU’s president, Bolaji Aweda, and the Public Relations Officer, Omotayo Olumide, the student union appealed for a sum of 50 million naira to pay for the school fees of 500 students within 4 days, to meet the September 20, 2024 deadline.

Part of the memo reads, “APPEAL FOR SUPPORT!!!”

The recent hike in school fees at the University of Ibadan has left many students struggling to continue their education. For some, the dream of a better future now seems out of reach. But with your help, we can change that.

The Students’ Union is reaching out to the public for support to ensure that no student is forced to drop out due to financial hardship. Every contribution, no matter how small, can make a life-changing difference.”

Also, the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria Students, University of Ibadan, in a broadcast tagged “Help UI Pharmacy Students To Stay In School,” released earlier yesterday, appealed to the public for 14 million naira to pay for the school fees of 100 students in the faculty.

The association cited the recent astronomical increase in school fees and the economic situation as the reasons many of its students have been unable to pay the fees.

Similarly, Nutrition Science students, Education students, Physiology students, and Agronomy students also appealed for funds from the public to support the education of their fellow students.

The requests for funds came out of concern that many students would not be allowed to complete their online registrations, hindering them from sitting their examinations, which are scheduled to begin on Monday, September 23.

UI management had given the students a three-week break on Saturday, August 31, instructing them to vacate their halls of residence within six hours following their peaceful demonstrations against the hike in school fees approved by the governing council on Thursday, August 29.

The students had taken to the streets to press home their demands, asking for a reversal of fees in the ‘FEESMUSTFALL’ struggle, citing the student loan policy and the hike in fees as neoliberal policies aimed at forcing most students out of school.

It’s worth noting that some student protesters defied the order of the school management to vacate the campus premises by 2 pm on Saturday and vowed to stay in school until their demands were met. They accused the management of using the break as a ploy to undermine their struggle for fee reversal.

However, UI security operatives arrested two students on Monday, September 2, and handed them to the Oyo State Police Command. The two students were later released on bail after writing statements to promise good behaviour.