By Oluwakemi Kindness
The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to increase funding for public tertiary institutions to reduce their reliance on student fees and other charges.
The lawmakers also called on the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to engage institutional managers on suspending fee increases and reviewing tuition structures in line with current economic realities.
The resolutions followed a motion moved by Rep. Ifeoluwa Ehindero at plenary on Tuesday to ease the financial burden on students and protect the objectives of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
The House also mandated its committees on university education, federal polytechnics and higher technical education, and federal colleges of education to investigate recent fee increases across public tertiary institutions and determine their justification.
Moving the motion, Ehindero expressed concern that some institutions had raised tuition fees and other mandatory charges by more than 100 per cent.
He warned that the increases could undermine NELFUND, which provides interest-free loans to eligible students to help them access tertiary education.
Ehindero said the scheme was designed around existing tuition benchmarks and institutional cost structures, warning that sudden fee increases could weaken its effectiveness.
The motion also raised concerns that rising education costs could widen inequality, force students from low-income families to drop out and trigger unrest on campuses.
It cited Section 18 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which directs the government to promote equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels.
The lawmakers said stronger government funding and a review of tuition structures were necessary to protect access to tertiary education amid rising costs.
Edited by Julian Osamoto
