Abia varsity reduces tuition

The Abia State University on Tuesday confirmed a 20 per cent reduction in its school fees, beginning from 2014/2015 academic session.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that an increase in the tuition in 2012/2013 session had put the university authority and the students on war path.

Mr Udo Nwokocha, the Dean of Student Affairs of the university, told NAN on telephone that the reduction cut across all the faculties.

The fees, which was raised in 2012, had forced the students to stage peaceful demonstrations.

The students had considered the hike in the tuition as government’s attempt to deny them of their right to education.

NAN reports that In the old fees regime, a student of Mass Communication pays N130,000 per session, while law and medical students paid N140,000.

Some students who spoke to NAN observed that there was low turn out of candidates who applied to write the post-JAMB UTME test because of the high fees.

A student, Chidinma Eleri told NAN that many prospective students, who could have chosen the university, applied elsewhere because of the high fees.

Reacting to the new development, Mr Isreal Ahamefula, the President of the university’s Student Union, said the reduction was a right step in the right direction.

He thanked the state government for listening to the plight of the students by bringing down the fees.

“On behalf of the students, I thank the state government and the school authorities for the reducing the fees.

“This has been a long awaited welcome development,”  he said.