The rising cost of education, By Babagana Bukar Wakil Ngala

The rate at which youths of today are becoming nuisance to the society at large, calls for concern as the major cause of this problem is the ever rising cost of education in our country.

First and foremost, many Nigerian youths who would have become a useful manpower for the advancement of the country could not achieved their aims as a result of the inability of their parents to pay their school fees.

Despite the hues and cries of both students and parents, the institution went ahead to implement the hike with an ultimatum for payment. This of course sent many of the youths back to streets-what a pity!

Besides, the failure of many students to secure admission into the university of their choice and course of study resulted into majority of them going for the part-time studies. This in essence led many institution of higher learning to increase their school fees since demand for admission became explosive. The explosion in the rush for admission was properly utilized hence parents had to pay through their nose.

The various tertiary institutions in Nigeria today are going through various forms of renovation in terms of lecture halls and residential halls. It became obvious that majority of the tertiary institutions are doing this to find means of their increasing their fees through the hostel accommodation which one through at first was a way of making life easier for students. What do we come to realize at the end? Increase of course! No sooner the renovated halls are ready, the university or polytechnic or college of education will go plc, and private individuals would managed the halls of residence with high cost of rentage. This of course is not good enough for our tertiary education as most candidates and students in such institution will find life meaningless when they can’t get their desired goals.

The causes of ever rising cost of tertiary education would not be complete if the high cost of joint admissions and matriculation examination JAMB which is for only one day is not mentioned. Compare the cost of JAMB examination of only one day to that of GCE that runs for a month or so, one would see that rising cost of education in Nigeria calls for remedy.

The following, I believe, would serve as solutions to the rising cost of education. In the first place, all tertiary institutions should build more hostels to accommodate students with moderate fees; this in no small way will help students who live off campus and on campus alike.

There should also be a reduction in the form fees, scratch card and that of other expenses incurred by students. Government should fund the tertiary education to perform better. Government should sanction banks that charge higher rate for their scratch card. All these done, it’s believed the cost of education in our tertiary institutions will become low.

Babagana Bukar Wakil Ngala, 300 level student of Department of mass communication, University of Maiduguri.