The National Association of University Students (NAUS), Osun State Campus Monitoring Committee, has decried the sharp increase in tuition fees at the University of Ilesa (UNILESA), where students are now expected to pay N1.5 million, a drastic rise from the previous N290,000.
Chairman of the committee, Popoola Olayinka, expressed dissatisfaction with the decision in a statement, describing it as a breach of trust and a betrayal of the institution’s founding promises of affordable education for all.
The statement read: “This unwarranted increase is a direct contradiction of the governor’s prior commitments to ensuring accessible and affordable quality education for the citizens.
“The university, formerly the Osun State College of Education Ilesa, was upgraded with the promise of providing affordable higher education to students, particularly those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
“This sudden and severe fee hike is a betrayal of the trust placed in the state government by the students and the broader Osun populace.
“At a time when citizens are already grappling with economic challenges such as high inflation rates, currency devaluation, and widespread unemployment, this decision only exacerbates their suffering.”
The association listed a series of demands aimed at addressing the situation. These include the immediate reversal of the tuition hike to its previous rates, the provision of adequate funding to the university to enable it to fulfill its academic and administrative obligations without shifting the financial burden onto students, and transparency in the institution’s financial operations.
NAUS further urged the university management to publish a detailed budget breakdown to justify any proposed fee adjustments in the future.
The association emphasized that such transparency would not only restore trust between the university and its students but also ensure that any financial challenges are addressed through fair and justifiable measures.
