University of Calabar (UNICAL) has officially announced a tuition fee hike of over 100% for undergraduate students.
This decision, declared in a statement by Mr. Effiong Eyo, the institution’s spokesperson, follows an emergency Senate meeting held on Friday and will be effective for the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 academic sessions.
However, students have begun protests to show displeasure. Videos depicting student protests, with individuals carrying placards, have surfaced online in response to this substantial fee increase.
Regarding the specifics, the fee structure indicates that non-science course freshmen, returning students, and final-year students will be expected to pay N111,000, N91,500, and N114,000, respectively. A third-party due of N36,500, N21,500, and N21,500, respectively, is also mandated.
For science courses, the fees have been adjusted to N155,000, N125,000, and N148,000 for freshmen, returning students, and final-year students, respectively, accompanied by third-party dues of N38,500, N21,500, and N21,500.
It should be recalled that the hike in school fees by different Universities, both state and federal-owned, has been a recurring issue in recent times. The university fee increase has been attributed to many factors like inflation, removal of fuel subsidies, and other economic hardships faced by Nigerians.