“Education is the most powerful tool which you can use to change the world.”- Nelson Mandela.
Gone are those days when education was a fundamental human right of every citizen, an era where everybody was encouraged to acquire free and qualitative education, a time where government prioritized the quality and standard of education rather than the money-making venture the education of today has turned to.
It is so pathetic that those who enjoyed the “right to education” in the above stated era are now those that are inflicting pains on Nigerian Students as a result of the exorbitant fees being charged in our ivory towers in the present time viz-a-viz of their oppressive policies.
Without iota of doubt, it is a known fact that the bedrock of development of any nation lies in its education sector.
In the past era, Nigeria recorded tremendous growth as a result of equal right to quality education. The education sector served as the hallmark of leadership in the said era.
Without gainsaying, the right to education has been totally eroded from the modus of operandi of those in saddled of managing the affairs of the education sector of today.
This shows that the right of the past era is now a privilege today. Series of increment in fees in our tertiary institutions are now the order of the day.
Many students have dropped out of schools while some female students have turned to Queens of Night (PROSTITUTES) as a result of unaffordable fees being charged in our ivory towers.
Dear Reader, how can we tell the parent whose minimum wage is under N18,000 to pay almost N105,000 charges for fresh students of LAUTECH and UNIOSUN which is not less than N100,000 being total charges for fresh students.
Definitely, such parent will have to go extra mile to pay the money so as not to jeopardise the admission of the child.
It was a wide broadcast some time ago when the management of Obafemi Awolowo University just woke one day and announced the astronomical increment of fees for the fresh students from N40,000 including the acceptance fee to the tune of N90,000.
So, my brother, where is the right to education? UNIBEN and UNILAG are also there with their exorbitant charges.
If not recently reduced, no less-privilege will afford N250,000 LASU fee.
Amidst economic quagmire, Nigerian citizens are currently battling with the authority of the University of Ibadan recently announced the increment of acceptance fee from N20,000 to N30,000 with the rumour of an attempt to increase the tuition fee also.
Where is the right to education?
The Polytechnics/Monotechnics and Colleges of Education are also systematically engaging in extortion of money from the students through exorbitant charges of POST-UTME, selling of handouts and sudden increment of fees.
The cases of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta and Edo State Poly where fresh students pay nothing less than N90,000 as charges for the admitted students are also a clearly defined mission from making education which is supposed to be a right to a privilege.
In recent time, the Oyo State Government, Sen. Isiaq Ajimobi said in a media chat that the proposed Oyo State Technical University was not for the poor but the rich.
If one of our leaders could say this statement, definitely, the right by all to education is now a privilege.
To crown this piece up, this is now a challenge to all stakeholders in the education sector, most especially the
student leaders to team up and drive away the cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabric of our education sector which is tagged “PRIVILEGE”. It is a collective task to make education a “RIGHT” back in Nigeria.
Together, we can fix it.
I submit with Frantz Fannon words: “The future will have no pity for those men who possess exceptional privilege of being able to speak the words of truth but have taken refuge in an attitude of mute, passivity and sometimes in cold complicity.
Let’s rise up to the challenge.
The task to collectively repositioning and redeeming education sector must be done by all.
Amandla Gawethu!!!
Nothing Shall Discourage Us….
Ismael Taiwo (T.COOL),
A student of the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences.