The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Kano University of Science and Technology Wudil, chapter, has faulted the recent increase of students’ registration fees.
It described the decision as a clear act of insensitivity.
Besides, the academic union insisted that such decision by the Vice-chancellor and the school’s management was not in tandem with the new Kano State policy on Free and Compulsory Education.
ASUU in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman Comrade Muhammad Sani Gaya and Secretary Comrade Murtala Muhammad regretted that the increase was coming at a time the university was expending extravagant resources on exotic cars for its principal officers.
The Union insisted that the services rendered from the funds generated from the registration fees paid by the students in the university were unjustifiable.
According to the statement, “for the avoidance of doubt, the Union categorically reiterates its earlier resolution at its Congress held on Thursday, 16th January 2020 and its Press Release of Thursday, 30th January 2020, of total rejection of what it termed as dangerous venture due to the unreliability of the data used by the management to arrive at the reviewed charges.
“Stakeholders and the general public may also wish to note that the University authority wittingly concealed the actual amount to be paid by the students as there are hidden charges.
”For instance, a fresh Geography student an indigene of Kano State is to pay N33, 700 as University Charges, N5,000 Field Course, N10,090 as Hostel Charges, N2,000 Field Course Local Charges, N200 SGS Charges, N500 Entrepreneurship Charges, totalling to N51,490.
“Since the re-introduction of Registration Fees by the University in 2015/2016 session there was never a year when the audited report was presented before the Council in violation of Section 31 of the University Law.
“The Union is worried that the Development Levy as a component of the Registration Fees collected from students’ to better their welfare is to be used in offsetting bank loan facility of the ‘Exotic Cars’ purchased for the principal officers of the University.”
The statement concluded that, based on the Lima Declaration which posits that “every human being has the right to education”, “education should not be made inaccessible to large number of people.”
It then called on the State Government and the University authority, to with immediate effect, reverse the hike in fees