Fashola and reversed LASU fees

Reprieve came the way of Lagos State University (LASU) students few days ago when Governor Babatunde Fashola reversed the fees charged by the institution from between N193,000 and N350,000 to N25,000 (the old rate). The governor announced the reversal at the grand finale of the university’s 19th convocation after months of students’ protests and subsequent closure of the school.

The pronouncement of the Fashola administration on the increase came as rude shock to Lagosians and parents nationwide, as that would have made LASU the most expensive public school in Nigeria. The government had directed that prospective students of Arts/Education were to pay N193, 750; Social and Management Sciences, N223, 750; Law, N248,750; while those in Communication/ Transport, Sciences, Engineering and College of Medicine were to pay, N238, 750; N258,750; N298,750 and N348,750 respectively as against former fees which ranged from between N25,000 and N62,500.

While the stated intention of the state government of transforming LASU into a world class educational institution cannot be faulted, the manner in which it announced and defended the fees left much to be desired, especially when the governor was reported to have asked rhetorically after series of protests by the students: “Shall we run our university for standards or sacrifice standards to churn out a generation of graduates without proper education?” But we ask, is it better to have a world class university for the privileged few or a university that encapsulates the yearnings of the people (poor and rich) for education?

It is commendable, however, that Governor Fashola eventually bowed to the voice of the wailing students, who once occupied the Lagos State secretariat in one of their protests, though he allowed the unpopular policy to drag the image of his government in the mud. Unfortunately, too, the reversal is generally viewed as All Progressives Congress’ (APC) pragmatic retreat, the result of the political exigencies in the South West region after the party lost Ekiti State to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in June 21 gubernatorial election, and almost ceded Osun State, again, to the PDP in the August 9 election, a development that would have portended a dangerous signal of APC’s slide to political oblivion.

We, ab initio, believed that the phenomenal increase was unnecessary as many students were reported to have dropped out of school because they could not afford to pay the astronomical new fees. It (the increase), to all intent and purposes, is an attempt to turn LASU into an institution for the rich by alienating the poor from having access to good education at a time when a United Nations’ report claimed that over 70 per cent of Lagosians are poor, and the state itself educationally disadvantaged. In view of this background, the university should never be run only on commercial considerations, but service orientation and a way to build a virile future for the state. Yes, the state needs funds to build bridges, markets and other infrastructure, but these should not be done at the expense of education. Much as we agree that building bridges is good, building the people through education is better. Like the late African sage, Nelson Mandela, once asserted, “education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world. An uneducated child today is a liability tomorrow, as lack of education comes with a consequent increase in crime rates and an attendant increase in security spending in the future”.

On the over 500 students that have left school during the crisis period, the Lagos State government should endeavour to encourage them to come back; and possibly assist them through scholarship or bursary awards. It will also not be out of place if the government can adopt a policy of education loan as it is done in advanced countries, whereby the beneficiaries pay back after gainful employment. It is obvious that LASU has not tasted development for years due to poor subvention for the school. If truly the APC is a progressive party as claimed, then education should be given priority, while other spending, such as purchasing vehicles for traditional rulers and other self-serving donations should be done away with or prioritized.

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