Reps move to halt school fee hikes in tertiary institutions, probe impact on NELFUND

The House of Representatives on Tuesday urged the federal government to halt the recent increase in school fees and other mandatory charges by public tertiary institutions, warning that the development could undermine the objectives of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

The call followed a motion moved by Ifeoluwa Ehindero (APC, Ondo) during plenary.

Mr Ehindero said the recent and widespread increases in fees by public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, in some cases by more than 100 per cent, could create significant disparities in the allocation of education loans and make it difficult for students from less affluent families to access tertiary education.

He said the NELFUND scheme was established by the federal government to provide interest-free loans to indigent students and enable them to pursue tertiary education without financial constraints.

According to him, the loan scheme was designed around existing tuition benchmarks and institutional cost structures, making sudden increases in fees a threat to its sustainability, equity and effectiveness.

“Education is the cornerstone of national development and is recognised as a fundamental state objective under Section 18 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” Mr Ehindero said.

He cited the constitutional provision which requires the government to direct its policies towards ensuring equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels.

The lawmaker expressed concern that the fee increases were being implemented without broad consultation or sufficient consideration of the economic difficulties facing Nigerian families.

He warned that continued increases could lead to increased student dropouts, campus unrest and declining public confidence in the government’s commitment to affordable education.

Mr Ehindero therefore urged the federal government to increase financial subventions to public tertiary institutions to reduce their reliance on internally generated revenue from student charges.

He also called on the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to engage the management of public tertiary institutions with a view to suspending fee increases and reviewing tuition structures in line with current economic realities.

The House further mandated its Committees on University Education, Federal Polytechnics and Higher Technical Education, and Federal Colleges of Education to investigate the extent and justification for the recent fee increases by public tertiary institutions.

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The motion was seconded by Inyang Emil (APC, Cross River) and was adopted without debate.

The Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, who presided over the plenary, referred the matter to the relevant committees for further legislative consideration.

NELFUND was established under the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act 2024 to administer the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.

The fund provides interest-free loans to eligible Nigerian students to cover institutional charges and, where required, upkeep costs, with the aim of removing financial barriers to higher education. The loan scheme is open to eligible students in public universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other approved higher institutions, with institutional charges paid directly to the schools.