Lagos State Government Cancels New LASU Fees [Read More]

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) Thursday ordered that students of Lagos State University, LASU, should revert to paying the old school fees.

The recent increase led to protests by students and strike by the institution’s lecturers.

The governor made the announcement that was received with jubilation by the students at the 19th Convocation and 30th anniversary of the state owned university.

Fashola  said the reversal cuts across all departments and faculties of the tertiary institution.

During Thursday’s event the governor also commissioned the university’s School of Transportaion.

The authorities of the university would now have to refund a total of N69,307,000 to all students who paid the old controversial fees.

The astronomical increase in school fees pitched the government against the students for several months. This led to the setting up of a committee to review the fees.  The committee set up by Governor Fashola was headed by the Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa.

The students had demanded that the governor reduce the fees from N390,000 to N46,500.

The state government had, in 2011, increased the fees from N25,000 to N198,000 for students in the Humanities and Education Departments, while medical students were to pay N350,000.

  After the protests, the state government approved a reduction by 34 to 60 per cent, that is, students were to pay between N76,750 and N158,250 depending on the faculty and year of study.

When protests by the students became violent, the school was shut for some weeks this year. The students were asked to resume on 23 June, about three weeks after the authorities asked them to proceed on ‘compulsory recess’. During the period of ‘recess’, a committee was set up to review the fees downwards.

With the revised fees for all the faculties based on the 34% – 60% reduction made by Governor Fashola, the Governing Council of the university approved 49.3% reduction which amounted to N76, 250 for final year students in the Art Department, and N158, 250 for  200-Level Engineering and Medical (Direct Entry) students.

Based on the same percentage, 100-Level students in the Adebola Adegunwa School of Communication were to pay N103,250, and 200-Level students (Direct Entry) were required to pay same fee, while  200-Level returning students were required to pay N88, 250.

For students of College of Medicine, new intakes and final year students were expected to pay N115,750, while 200-Level and Direct Entry students were to pay N158,250, representing a 36.4% reduction.

In the new fee, 100-Level Engineering students are to pay N115,750, while the returning students from 200 to 500-Levels are to pay N143,250; N143, 250; N131,750 and N106,750 respectively.

Students in the Faculty of Management Sciences in 100-Level up to final year were to pay N103, 250, N113, 250, N98, 250, N98, 250, N86, 750 and N86, 750.00 respectively. The Faculty of Science students were to pay N115,750; N118,250; N103,250; N113, 250; N106,750 and N96,750 respectively.