On the Cost of Education, Bursaries, and UI Students’ Leaders Actions and Inactions

Going down memory lane in Nigerian history, education has always been held in high esteem as a cornerstone of societal progress and individual empowerment. From the early days of the country’s independence, there has been a strong belief in the power of education to transform lives, and so the doors to good quality education were swung open wide. Education was declared a right for all, and there were implemented policies put in place to make education accessible to everyone. However, as it stands, there is a stark contrast to what education used to be and what it is now. Today’s narrative is marked by a ridiculously high cost of education in most of the revered public institutions of higher learning, of which the University of Ibadan is not left out.

The University of Ibadan has its place in the heart of the country’s academic history and has always been a symbol of intellectual excellence and a cultural heritage. Unfortunately, the recent hike in the cost of education within its walls has now become a burdensome weight on the shoulders of students and their families.

In recent years, the education sector of the country has been severely underfunded, especially if the allocation of funds to other sectors in the national budgets are considered. This, in addition to the disappearance of subsidisation that came with the incumbent federal government’s administration, has waxed the line of affordable education, especially in tertiary institutions, thin. Consequently, tertiary institutions have claimed to be financially constrained and in need of ways to make money which explains the seismic shift in the fees students are currently paying, which leans to the higher side.

Yet, in the midst of the financial turmoil caused by the hike, the commitment of students to education has remained. But this does not invalidate the burden the high cost of education has placed on them. In fact, the price of education is now threatening to become a barrier to the average Nigerian’s dream of acquiring tertiary education in a Nigerian public institution.

UI’SU and Student Associations: All Roar and No Bite?
Historically, the Student Union is regarded as the voice of the students and a potent force with the responsibility of advocating for their rights, especially in times such as this. However, a cursory look now reveals a paradoxical shift in their function. Instead of vehemently rebuffing inflated fees, Student Unions across affected public institutions in Nigeria have not been able to effect a positive change whether at the institutions’ level or the government’s. In the case of the University of Ibadan, the Host-led University of Ibadan Student Union (UI’SU) pivoted towards charity efforts, raising bursaries for indigent students to pay their school fees. The act, at a first glance, reflects the union’s concerns about the challenges that the school fee hike and the imposition of other fees posed to students who could barely afford it. On a closer look, one sees that the charity approach is merely a veil on the primary role of the Student Union as a pressure group that serves to influence the policies and decisions of the institution’s management or even on a larger scale, engage the government, to protect the welfare needs of the students and pursue their interests to no end. As a representative of the student body, the University of Ibadan Students’ Union should be all the aforementioned and not a charity organisation, at least, history has shown this.

A Student Union owes docility to neither the management of its academic institution or the government; if anything, its allegiance lies with the students. Unfortunately, the responses from the UI’SU to the increased tuition fee, has been a departure from what the union is expected to achieve, which is nothing less than the student leaders standing their grounds against the hike in school fees and employing last resorts that differ from succumbing to compromises and resorting to an approach of “mitigating” the consequences for the most vulnerable and needy of the student body.
Since the disbursement of the UI’SU bursary in the first semester of this 2022/23 academic session, other student leaders, especially in faculty associations have followed suit or attempted one, the most recent being the Association of Faculty of Arts Students (AFAS), where efforts were made towards crowdfunding a sum of 500,000 Naira. While these actions that are aimed at helping students cannot be dismissed, this shift towards charitable projects lays a foundation for the reversal of the Student Union from its fundamental role.

Raising bursaries, though very noble, does not address the root cause—the symptom is being treated rather than the ailment being cured. With the rate of inflation that keeps climbing up in the country, the current cost of school fees might soon be hit by another increment. By turning into a quasi-charity organisation, the Student Union is risking watering down its impact on policy decisions by yielding to the forces responsible for the fee hikes.

One can argue that the government policies and various economic challenges have, to a large extent, toned down the once-bold voices of these unions. There is now the fear of reprisals and attacks, including suspension and outright dissolution. The union now hesitates to engage in the result-driven advocacy that characterised the earlier decades. The nagging consequence is that the once-vibrant union known to stand for the defense of students rights has been reduced to palliative-providing organisation.

This trend of the Student Union being under a thumb (that is not the students’) is not unique to UI alone, as Student Unions in other universities also struggle with the inability to confront the government and university administrations effectively. As expected, the broader socio-political issues in Nigeria have contributed to the weakened stance of the Student Unions, yet it cannot be allowed to remain so. The current state of affairs demands a reevaluation of the role and effectiveness of the Student Union.

With the dwindling influence of the union, there would be a lasting impact on the student body. The inability of the union to carry out its appropriate roles as a pressure group and advocate for student rights will not be a mere short-term setback. There is a crisis looming, especially in the face of the proposed student loans. The absence of a strong and persevering advocacy union will leave students without a powerful voice to negotiate terms, protect their interests, and ensure that the loans do not become a burden.

There is a risk that the terms of these loans may be dictated without due consideration for the harsh realities facing students. With the current silence surrounding it, if the interest rates and payment conditions are formed to further burden students, will the Student Union set up repayment plans for “indigent” students?

It is important that the union attempts to revive the spirit of student activism and reclaim the influential role that it is expected to play in shaping the path education is treading. Otherwise, students will remain vulnerable, and the union together with its local organisations will officially don the new title of charity organisations.