The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to increase funding for public tertiary institutions and encourage their managements to suspend proposed increases in school fees amid concerns about the rising cost of higher education.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Ifeoluwa Ehindero, who represents Akoko-South West/Akoko-South East Federal Constituency of Ondo State, during Tuesday’s plenary.
The motion, titled “Need to halt the recent increase in school fees by public tertiary institutions and its impact on Nigerian Education Loan Fund,” raised concerns about the effect of rising tuition fees on students and the sustainability of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Ehindero said the student loan scheme was designed around existing tuition benchmarks and institutional cost structures, warning that sudden fee increases could weaken its effectiveness.
“The House observes that the recent and widespread increases in school fees and other mandatory charges by several public tertiary institutions across the country, including universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, in some cases, by over 100 per cent, have been implemented without broad consultation or consideration of the economic realities facing many Nigerian families,” he said.
The lawmaker argued that sudden increases in tuition and other compulsory charges could make it more difficult for students from low-income households to access higher education.
He also warned that rising costs could force some students to abandon their studies and create tension on campuses if the situation was not addressed.
“We are worried that if allowed to continue unchecked, these fee increments may create significant disparities in the allocation of education loans, crowd out students from less affluent backgrounds and frustrate the objectives of NELFUND in bridging access to higher education,” Ehindero said.
Following deliberations on the motion, lawmakers called on the Federal Government to consider increasing financial support to public tertiary institutions to reduce their dependence on revenue generated from student charges.
The House also urged the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission to engage institutional managements on suspending fee increases and reviewing tuition structures in line with prevailing economic conditions.
In addition, the House mandated its committees responsible for university education, federal polytechnics and higher technical education, and federal colleges of education to investigate the extent and justification for recent fee increases.
The proposed investigation is expected to examine the reasons for the increases and whether the additional charges are justified.
NELFUND was established to provide financial assistance to eligible Nigerian students in public tertiary institutions through loans for tuition and other approved educational expenses.
However, lawmakers expressed concern that substantial increases in tuition could raise the amount students need to borrow and put additional pressure on the scheme.
The House’s intervention places the affordability of higher education and the funding of public institutions at the centre of the debate over university fees.