By Eze Peter and Udeiwe Chidera

The Vice Chancellor, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie has stated that the management of the institution does not have any plans to increase students’ school fees in the 2023/2023 academic session.

Prof Okolie said this in view of rising economic challenges in the country in which the university is not insulated from, noted that despite shortfalls in the revenue base of the school, he would prefer to suffer for the next one year rather than increase the school fees.

“I went to His Excellency sometime ago and I told him, how do we continue to augment subvention with over 240 million, we want increment to the subvention of State government.

“He asked me this question, ‘Vice Chancellor, do you think this 124,900 is enough to take the student one whole year?’ I said well it’s not enough, we have to subsidize for education. We want more people to have access to education. If we increase it many people will dropout.

“When I told him that, he said yes he understands but the world is changing, that the federal government said it is going to give you loan and that if it gives you loan, you should pay for your education. I said but the loan has not come and federal government said it’s from next year. He said ‘okay, if you will not increase, I am tying increment in subvention to increment in school fees.’

“I said I prefer to suffer for the next one year rather than increase the school fees. I have not considered at all increment in school fees for this academic session,” he concluded.   

The Vice Chancellor further warned that students who didn’t pay their school fees within the stipulated timeline will not be allowed to write examinations, going forward.

“But another good news to the students is that no student will write exams without paying school fees. On the day of exam, if you paid that day, you will wait for the next academic session.

“We must work with timeline because we are now working with calendar in ESUT. Payment of school fees is equally tied to the timeline. No student will write exams henceforth if you didn’t pay your school fees. If you bring anybody to come and do riot, I will allow them to destroy things, you will pay reparation and you must pay it before coming back.”

He advised the students to always face their studies and avoid unnecessary distractions