The ERC in a statement issued on Monday and signed by Comrade Akin Paul, said that if there was any expectation and hope for improvement in both the learning and living conditions among students of the UI, following the decision of the Prof Adebowale-led university administration to hike the school fee at the beginning of the current academic session running to an end, the likelihood that such an expectation have been shattered is very high!
The Education Rights Campaign (ERC), a civic organisation, has decried the worsening learning and living conditions of students of the University of Ibadan (UI) in Oyo State despite fees hike by the university.
The ERC in a statement issued on Monday and signed by Comrade Akin Paul, said that if there was any expectation and hope for improvement in both the learning and living conditions among students of the UI, following the decision of the Prof Adebowale-led university administration to hike the school fee at the beginning of the current academic session running to an end, the likelihood that such an expectation have been shattered is very high!
According to the group, “The pre-existing terrible condition under which a mass of students live and study within the university community has continued to deteriorate.
“Electricity supply has been more epileptic than ever, and rarely uniform across the campus in the few instances when it's available.
“Halls of residence like Kuti, Mellanby, Bello and Tedder are often cut-off of supply most often whenever there is a supply in academic areas and other halls of residence like Zik, Indy, Idia among others.
“The situation is so terrible at the present time such that the majority of students are being condemned into darkness where they often strain their eyes with flickering candlelight in pursuit of their academic objectives.
“Water supply across the length and breadth of the campus is also so poor, that students are often compelled to walk a long distance in order to get water needed for daily use.
“Facilities like toilets and bathrooms, whose maintenance depends on the availability of water have also continued to be in a more deplorable condition.
“The high spate of insecurity across the campus has continued to be a concern for the mass majority of students.”
The group further stated that the most worrisome of all of the travails faced by the students is the silence of Mr Tobiloba-led students’ union and their continuous refusal to organize a resistance against all of the terrible conditions.
“Instead, they connived with the university administration to jointly organise a town hall meeting which was largely meant to prepare the minds of students for another hike in tuition fees comes next academic session.
“The ERC opposes any planned school fee hike comes next academic session. As far as we are concerned, the university administration and Council lack moral credibility to introduce any increase in school fee.
“As our experiences have shown, none of the previous hikes in fees has translated into any improvement in both the living and learning conditions of students on campus. Again, given the current hike in the cost of living and excruciating hardships currently bedeviling the country, it amounts to an act of wickedness and insensitivity for the university administration to contemplate another hike in school fee either now or in the future.
“As far as we are concerned, public university education is meant to be a social service, free and adequately funded by the government not by parents or guardians. Recently, it has been widely reported that there is a significant increase in the government revenue following the hike in the price of petrol under the pretense of petrol subsidy removal by the Tinubu-led government.
“We of the ERC, strongly believe that this improvement in government revenue is a strong basis to argue against any plan to hike fee, demand a significant reduction in the current fee pay by students, and insist that government should increase its commitments towards adequate funding of public university including the implementation of agreements with ASUU, SSANU and NASU .
“This is the kind of argument that we, of the ERC, feel that Mr Tobiloba - led students’ union should have advanced against the university administration's plan to hike tuition fees by next academic session.
“Unfortunately, there is no indication at this moment that the next leadership that is likely to emerge from the upcoming students’ union election, scheduled for 20 April, 2024, is going to be better than the Tobiloba-leadership.
“Currently, the election is actually dominated by individuals whose characters and conducts do not suggest that they have knowledge or appreciation of the historical responsibility of the students’ union, let alone how to carry it out.
“So far, none of the individuals aspiring for the leadership of the union have programs that address the issues that affect students viz; hike in school fees, learning and living conditions of students, undue interference of university administration in the affairs of the students’ union and the question of funding of public education.
“It is in the light of this, we of the ERC warn against any illusion in any of these candidates while we urge mass of the students to be ready to organise and mobilise in ensuring that any leadership that emerges is compelled to build a determined resistance against any attempt to hike the school fees and for adequate defense of the collective interest of mass of the students on campus.”