The Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, has reduced tuition in the state-owned tertiary institutions.
The governor announced the cuts during an interactive session with reporters in Kaduna on Monday.
The immediate past administration of Nasir El-Rufai had increased school fees for tertiary institutions.
Mr El-Rufai had argued that due to constraints on the resources of the state, his government could no longer subsidise education.
Despite the outcry of students and parents, he did not reverse the government’s decision on the increase.
Mr Sani, however, decided to cut tuition in response to the outcry of the public and the effect of the increased tuition on enrollment and retention.
He said the N150,000 tuition paid by students at the Kaduna State University has now been reduced by 30 per cent. The students will henceforth pay N105,000.
The tuition of students of Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic was reduced from N100,000 to N50,000.
For the College of Education, Gidan Waya, the tuition was reduced from N75,000 to N37,500.
The fees charged by the Shehu Idris College of Health Sciences and Technology, Makarfi for Higher National Diploma courses were reviewed from N100,000 to N70,000.
In a similar vein, the fee for National Diploma courses in the same institution was reduced from N75,000 to N52,000.
For Kaduna State College of Nursing, the fee was reviewed from N100,000 to N70,000.
The governor described the measure as his government’s palliatives to cushion the effect of the petroleum subsidy removal and its harsh economic impact on the people.
He said that the heads of tertiary institutions, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, obtained relevant information on the extant fee regime in state-owned tertiary institutions and recommended a reduction of the tuition.
“That the extant fee regime in the state-owned tertiary institutions is burdensome and has led to a significant decline in student enrollment.
“That the extant fees have made many students either abandon the pursuit of tertiary education or move to alternative institutions,’’ he said.
Mr Sani then reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the welfare of the people.
“My administration will continue to take all the necessary measures to ensure access to free and quality education for every child in the state from primary to secondary school,” he said.
He said that expanding access to higher education, enhancing teachers’ welfare and teaching standards as well as improving school infrastructure had built ICT competence in students from the basic education level
Many residents who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES about the reduction applauded the governor for looking into the matter and acting according to the yearning of the people.
“I am a parent, and this is quite an interesting development. Even if it is one naira that is reduced, it will go a long way. Many students had to stop schooling when the former governor increased the tuition fees. Now we have a governor that is reasoning with the poor people,” Hajia Halima said.
Istifanus Malam, a father, also told PREMIUM TIMES that he was happy with the development.
“I have two children currently studying in two of the state-owned institutions. This review is a good one at the right time.”
