UNN Secondary School Increases Hostel Fee By 100%

The management of the University of Nigeria Secondary School, Nsukka and Enugu campuses, has increased the hostel fee of the students by 100 percent.

THE WHISTLER learnt that the increment is effective from the second term. Parents have however described the hostel fee hike as worrisome.

“Before it was N90,000 per term,” states Sabinus, a parent. “This is in addition to the school fees. I agree that it is being subsidised by the federal government, but the hike from N90, 000 to N180, 000 is beyond my understanding. It is natural that federal institutions are cheaper, but with the way this one happened, I think very soon even the school fees will increase. We have started paying, but silently complaining.”

Stella Iwu, a parent, said the matter was discussed during a meeting of the parent-teacher association of the university. “I didn’t attend the following meeting, so I don’t know what was resolved. The news came to me with worries because I have two students there. Some parents have more, and they are all complaining. I still want the management to look into this matter.”

Mrs Janet Ezeme, also a parent, disagreed with the increment. She said, “The cost of food items is falling steadily. The same students buy some of the items they use in the hostel. They also buy their branded uniforms. It is not as cheap as you may think. Paying all these unsettles some of us at the beginning of every term. I may ask my children to become day students. I am a widow. It will be less burdensome, though it has its own challenges.”

Ebere Eze says the hike is still moderate considering what private schools charge. “We live in Abuja, and I encouraged my son to relocate to Nsukka for his secondary education. Last term, we paid N90,000 for hostel. This term it is N180,000. Compared with what I pay for my daughter at a private secondary school in Abuja, UNN secondary is still far cheaper.”

There are however speculations that the increase is part of the university’s modalities to increase its internally generated revenue.

Osita Anayo, a proprietor of schools at Nsukka, said, “The management, under the new vice chancellor, is exploring many avenues to increase the institution’s IGR. You may be aware that the university recently increased the tuition fee of its fresh undergraduates from around N100,000 to about N240,000. So the increase also affected the secondary arm of the university.”

Investigations show that secondary school students whose parents are non-staffers of the institution pay N75,000 as school fees while children of staff members pay N65,000. The acceptance fee, as at 2023, is N15,500 for staff members’ children while non-staffers pay N25,000.

The school’s hotline did not connect for reactions, but a teacher, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the increase. She said, “It also includes feeding. It is the reality of the economy of our current time.”