Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, has approved a 34 per cent reduction in the tuition fees of students of the Lagos State University (LASU).
This followed a report submitted by the ad hoc committee he set up to review the fees.
After deliberations on the report of the committee, the state executive council met on Wednesday and issued a communiqué stating the resolutions on the issue.
Governor Fashola commended the use of dialogue, which he said should be adopted in resolving disputes within the university community rather than violent protests.
In welcoming the submissions, the governor noted that a reduction ranging from 34 per cent to 60 per cent across the different faculties and courses is possible. He therefore mandated the university governing council to implement it.
He disclosed that the LASU budget for recurrent and capital expenditure of about N10 billion for 2014 is partially funded from tuition fees, which amounts to only 10 per cent, while government provides the remaining 90 per cent in addition to further subsidisation of fees by the provision of scholarships, bursaries and research grants.
Fashola promised to increase government spending on infrastructure and physical development of the campus, saying it will enhance the stature of the State University as a leading institution of higher learning in Nigeria.
He therefore urged staff and students of the university to immediately terminate their industrial action.
Students of the university relentlessly protested the fee hike, despite the arraignment of eight of them in court for “disturbing public peace”.
Thank you Governor Fashola for decrease in the school fee of the LASU students.
Governor Fashola is always my man Friday. He is ever listening. Downward review in fee by 34% is quite commendable, but in my candid opinion University education shouldn’t be too cheap. Other states contemplating rise in fee should weigh the implication side by side what the students are getting in return. The indigent but exceptionally brilliant students should be offered scholarship while those that have money but not too brilliant should be made to pay the fee so that they would appreciate the worth in the long run. Am I really speaking your mind?