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From left, Deputy Gov. of Anambra State,
Dr. Nkem Okeke, Governors Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia State,
Rochas Okorocha, Imo State, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi,
Enugu State at the South East Governors Forum
in Enugu State, yesterday.
Although
the governors of the five South-East states of Abia, Anambra,
Ebonyi,Enugu and Imo, always affirmed their determination to give
priority to the education of youths as leaders, the situation on ground
show otherwise, as students pay exorbitant school fees in the region.
Imo
State is the only exemption as it had been providing free education for
students since Governor Rochas Okorocha assumed office in 2011.
However,
Okorocha has vowed to introduce fees for non-natives of the state as Imo
people resident in other states were made to pay school fees. He said
it was foolhardy to provide free education for non-natives when it was
not the same thing in other states, where Imo people reside.
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A
survey carried out in the five states showed that apart from Imo, which
was implementing free education at all levels, the other four states
were not education-friendly as they charged high fees even as some
implemented discriminatory school fees among the students. … of fees,
levies In Anambra State, where education is regarded as the biggest
industry, students in public primary and secondary schools pay levies
instead of school fees.
Senior
secondary school students pay about N3,000 as levies, while those in
the junior classes pay about N2,500 per session even as admissions into
such schools attracted an initial payment of about N12,000 for each
student. Those seeking admission into any class are usually charged fees
for the three terms in a session, even if they were changing schools in
the third term.
The
situation is, however, different for the private and missionary schools
where fees range from N20,000 to N100,000 per term. Apart from the
official school fees, levies are charged through the various Parents’
Teachers Associations, PTAs, especially if there were projects to be
executed in the school. For the tertiary institution, fees at the
state-owned Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University range from N100,000
for non-professional courses to N130,000 for professional courses.
The
fees include sundry charges such as students’ union dues, departmental
fees, laboratory fees among others. Abia In Abia State, primary and
secondary schools are also said to be free, but some schools charge
illegal levies of between N1,000 and N3,000 yearly. Fees charged at the
state’s tertiary institutions are high compared to the financial
capacity of the indigenes. At Abia State University, the fees are
between N65,000 and N300,000, depending on the course of study.
Medicine
and other related courses cost much higher than the arts and social
sciences. At the state polytechnic in Aba, students are charged between
N50,000 to N60,000, per semester, while those at the College of
Education, Technical, pay fees ranging from N45,000 to N50,000, per
semester.
Ebonyi
In Ebonyi State, which is the most educationally backward in the
geo-political zone, primary and secondary schools are also said to be
free. At the College of Education, Ikwo, new and year two students pay
N35,000 with those in their third/ final year paying N20,000. For those
of the Federal University Ndufu Alike, Ikwo, new entrants pay N56,000
while the old students pay N36,000 per session.
The
state government, however, charged discriminatory fees as non-natives
of the state paid much higher. Ebonyi State indigenous students pay
N80,000, while non-indigenes pay N120,000 each. Enugu There are no
tuition fees in public primary and secondary schools in Enugu State.
However, various levies are paid at both levels. Primary school pupils
pay an average of N1,000 for various projects initiated by the Parents’
Teachers Associations, PTAs. Even those in secondary schools pay various
levies ranging from N100 to N900 per session.
Both
JSS 3 and SS 3 students pay between N700 and N900 in addition to the
official fees charged for their examinations. At the Enugu State College
of Education, Technical, ESCET, new students for NCE programme pay
N48,000 while those undergoing degree courses pay N69,000 including
acceptance fees. Also in ESCET, Sandwich/Part-Time Degree tuition,
including acceptance fee, is N80,000.
Students
at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, pay
N126,000, excluding N25,000 acceptance fee and other departmental fees.
Students who choose to stay in the hostels pay an additional N40,000. At
the Institute of Management and Technology, IMT, new students pay
N65,000, including acceptance fees, while hostel accommodation is
N40,000.
The
University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, which is a Federal Government-owned
institution, pegged its own fees at N90,000 apart from a compulsory
laptop fee of N75,000 for new students, even as old students pay N55,000
each.
Imo Imo State Government has been operating free education programme since Governor Okorocha came on board in 2011.
He
promised giving school bags, textbooks, desks, sandals and teaching
aids to the pupils and their schools. The governor took off with the
programme, but events had since proved that he has slowed down or
completely stopped the implementation of the policy. Some school heads,
interviewed within the week, confessed that they had since run out of
instructional materials, even as they said that parents now provided
books and uniforms for their wards.
South
East Voice investigations showed that it was doubtful if the state
government would go on with the free education policy, especially with
the current economic down turn in the country.
Only
recently, Okorocha told journalists that he was seriously thinking of
slamming fees on non-indigenes, pointing out that it was foolhardy to
give such people free education in Imo, while Imo people were forced to
pay fees in other states.
