Over the weekend, Nigerians were met with unsettling news as tuition fees in government schools saw an increase without prior consultation with students or parents.

This development adds to the already existing economic hardships faced by many families, exacerbated by rising fuel prices and the devaluation of the national currency, the Naira. Fuel prices have witnessed a staggering 609% jump over the past eight years, leaving citizens struggling to maintain their quality of life.

In a concerning move, the Federal Government (FG) has decided to raise tuition fees for Unity Secondary schools in Nigeria to ₦100,000. The Federal Ministry of Education (FME) made this decision, which affects new students entering Federal Government Colleges, also known as Federal Unity Colleges.

This news surfaces in the midst of other higher institutions also introducing higher tuition fees in recent months. For instance, the University of Lagos, Akoka, raised its tuition from N16,000 to N100,000, eliciting strong reactions from Nigerians.

Similarly, the University of Maiduguri in Borno State increased medical students’ tuition to N238,000 from less than N100,000 in January, while law students’ fees were hiked from N26,000 to around N104,000. Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, followed suit, raising tuition for law students from N56,000 to N86,300 (for final year students) and N48,000 to N73,000, with medical students’ fees raised to N109,000 from roughly N60,000 to N70,000.

Additionally, a proposed undergraduate price schedule for the 2022/2023 academic session from Bayero University, Kano, indicates tuition rate increments based on students’ faculties. The University of Benin also joined in raising fees, expecting students to pay N170,000 to N190,000, up from N69,000 to N74,000.

The increase in Unity Schools fees was communicated through a circular from the Office of the Director of Senior Secondary Education Department of the Federal Ministry of Education. The circular, dated 25th May, 2023, addressed all Principals of Federal Unity Colleges, and states that new students are now expected to pay ₦100,000, compared to the previous N45,000.

The impact of this latest fees/charge increment will extend to various aspects of the school, including tuition, boarding fees, uniforms, textbooks, deposits, exercise books, prospectus, caution fee, ID cards, stationery, clubs and societies, sports, extra lessons, insurance, and more.

In response to the tuition hike, the Nigerian Parents Forum appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in June 2023 to intervene and reverse the over 100% increment in fees for students attending Federal Government Colleges.

The group expressed their concern over the arbitrary and ill-timed increase, deeming it insensitive and inconsistent with President Tinubu’s promise of welfare programs to support Nigerian parents amid economic challenges resulting from the fuel subsidy removal.

Moreover, the House of Representatives directed the Federal Ministry of Education to review the new school fees regime in Federal Government Colleges and revert to the old regime, reflecting the growing concern surrounding the affordability of education in the country.