KASU Tuition Fees

It is no longer news that Kaduna State government has increased the tuition fees of its higher institutions. Badly affected are the students of Kaduna State University (KASU). These students who came mostly from poor families are expected to pay N200,000 as their tuition fees as against N26,000 they used to pay. Disturbed by this development, last week, the students staged a peaceful protest to call the attention of government on the need to reverse its decision or at least reduce the tuition fees. However, hope was lost when representatives of the students met with government officials and all appeals fell on deaf ears as both secretary to the state government and state deputy governor turned down the request of the students. Prior to the meeting between representatives of the students and government, the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) reported that over 75% of the KASU students may drop from the school due to the hike in tuition fees.

Going back memory lane, when Governor El-Rufai came on board in 2015, his government promised to make education affordable to the people in the state. Sadly, his hurriedly packaged education policies instead of improving education has made it worse. The state government should have consulted widely or looked at the worsening economic condition of the poor before coming up with the new tuition fees. The increment of fees by 500% while other states like Oyo and Jigawa are subsidising is unacceptable. Many students may be forced out of schools as predicted by ASUU. No one can rule out that frustration may force these poor students to become criminals.

It is when parents and students are lamenting, weighing options for survival that succour finally knocks on their doors. Lawal Adamu Usman, a philanthropist and politician of great repute, worried by the unjustifiable increased in tuitions fees, through his foundation doles out N30 million as scholarship to KASU students. Although this is not the first time he is reaching out to students in need, the huge amount set aside by his foundation has received commendation from the parents and ASUU. The scholarship has come at a time when all available options have been explored by the parents to force government to reverse the obnoxious policies to no avail. On Monday 31 May, a portal that will allow students to apply for the scholarship was opened to every students from the 23 Local governments of the state. Within a day, no less than 3500 students applied. Interestingly, according to Lawal Adamu Usman, every student who met the requirements will get his registration paid. Without mincing words, in the history of Kaduna State, no individual could have done what Mr LA is doing to alleviate the suffering of common man

Lawal Adamu Usman has never held any political position but he touches lives of poor people in many ways. No wonder he has become a darling of talakawa and his name rings a bell in all the nooks and crannies of Kaduna State.

Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna State