All student fees are slated to increase by the management of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun State.
According to Platinum Times, this was unavoidable given the financial crisis the polytechnic has found itself in, which has prevented it from being able to pay employees.
Workers at MAPOLY began an indefinite strike on Thursday, October 5, in protest of unpaid three months’ salary and other benefits.
Yemi Ajibola, the polytechnic’s spokesperson, told DAILY POST that the institution was unable to pay salaries because “there is no money.”
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), in Ajibola’s words, “started ‘dictating'” the number of students the polytechnic could admit for both Full Time and Part Time, which led to the polytechnic going bankrupt.
According to Ajibola, MAPOLY, which once accepted more over 10,000 students, can only now accept a pitiful 4,000 students at all levels.
The management of the polytechnic informed Governor Dapo Abiodun of the necessity for a fee rise, according to a top official who asked to remain anonymous. His permission is still pending.
“Once Governor Abiodun gives his nod for an increase in fees, the new amount would be announced to all students,” the source disclosed.
On Monday and Tuesday, MAPOLY students took to the streets of Abeokuta to protest the increase in the Acceptance Fee from N25,000 to N35,000, calling on the Governor to intervene.
At the moment, the students are casting aspersions on the Rector, Dr Adeoye Odedeji, blaming him for the way things have turned out in the polytechnic.
The various unions have also passed a vote of no confidence on the Rector, describing him as the architect of the predicaments that have befallen the once self-sufficient citadel of learning.
It could be recalled that in 2016, former Governor Ibikunle Amosun described MAPOLY as one institution that would not wait for government subventions before taking care of its financial obligations, including infrastructural development.
In response to claims that the Rector be blamed for the current state of the polytechnic, the PRO disagreed, asking what he would have done when there was no money.
He said:
“They (the workers) have access to the polytechnic’s account. They are aware there is no money. How do they want the Rector or the management or the Bursar to get money to pay salaries?
“We are owed three months salaries, but the unions have access to the account of the polytechnic. So they cannot pass a vote of no confidence.”
Our correspondent gathered that the polytechnic once took loans from banks to pay salaries when things got to its climax in 2021, but it appears the Rector does not want to tread that path anymore.
In seeking a permanent solution to the financial challenges in MAPOLY, management is set to jack up all fees, which are yet to be reviewed since over a decade ago.
The source stated:
“The management has constituted a committee to look into the school fees payable by students because that is the major source of revenue for the polytechnic. That has been done and the recommendation has been submitted to the governor for consideration and approval. So, we are waiting.
“The only thing that can settle all these problems is to have enough funds, and that can only be done by increasing the school fees. If a student is paying N50,000 per session in this country that we are, what do we do with that in this economy?
“JAMB has reduced the number of students we can admit per session. This is the cause of this paucity of funds and the only way out is to increase school fees.”
Our correspondent gathered that HND students may pay up to N100,000 or more, should the governor approve the new tuition proposal.
Ogun administration in a bind
According to information obtained by Platinum Times, the Ogun State Government is undecided over whether to approve the suggested increase in tuition for students at the esteemed Ogun Polytechnic.
According to a source, the Governor is unhappy that parents, who are still dealing with the difficulty brought on by the elimination of the gasoline subsidy, will have to deal with an increase in school tuition.
According to a government source, the Governor is also taking into account the possibility that many poor students will leave the polytechnic if the additional costs are approved by the management.
Abiodun is also unwilling to allow angry students to keep taking to the streets to protest the increased tuition.
Parents who are worried about the proposal to raise school fees have pleaded with Governor Abiodun to reject it, especially at a time when the economy is struggling.
What the State Government will decide is still up in the air.