Ogun Distances Self from Proposed Hike in Tuition Fees in the State’s Universities and Polytechnics
Ogun State Government has distant itself from the rumored plan by the state owned tertiary educational institutions to join federal universities in raising their tuition fees.
The institutions include Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye; Moshood Abiola University, Abeokuta; ICT Polytechnics, Tai Solari University of Education, Ijebu Ode and Tai Solarin College of Education, Omu Ijebu.
It says that only the governing councils and managements of the institutions would take the decision, whether to raise their fees or not.
The state governor’s Special Adviser on Education, Science and Technology, Professor Abayomi Arigbabu, gave this indication while appearing on a Rockcity FM Programme: “Daybreak Show”.
According to him, the state government would not tele guide the polytechnics and universities, but allow each of them to review their peculiar situation after a meeting with the major stakeholders, including staff, and students.
On the crisis in the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Arigbabu said the state government was monitoring the situation and had been intervening appropriately.
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He said the state government had intervened thrice this year, in the crisis in the polytechnic over unpaid salaries and other disputes with staff.
Since the fresh crisis erupted last week, the commissioner said the state government had intervened, including a meeting with relevant stakeholders on Wednesday to resolve the crisis.
The polytechnic had been temporarily shut down till Monday, following protests by the students over rumored plan to hike the tuition fee, and the increase of acceptance fee payable by new intakes into the institution.
Also, the staff of the polytechnic were on a strike over unpaid salaries.
The commissioner said the state government would continue supporting the polytechnic, while blaming the financial crisis facing the polytechnic on the move by the former governor Amosun’s administration to convert it into a university.
According to the commissioner, the abortive moves resulted in the directive by the National Board of Technical Education to the management of polytechnic to start afresh.
He explained that the directive had drastically reduced the student population of the polytechnic from 25,000 to 13,000, which according to him, had affected the institution’s internally generated revenue.
