A student of AAUA by the name Seyifunmi Adeosun Francis popularly known as Francophone has shared his concern about the new rules brought up by the school administration.
Recall that the school authority in a circular released on 27th July had instructed that fresh students pay their school fees in full.
Adeosun, a 300 level student of the law faculty shared his views on how things have gone lately in the university and called on the school authority to be more lenient with the students.
He said further that “You can’t beat a child and not allow it to cry, that’s double jeopardy, the school management increased the tuition and gave a thin line that the students will have the opportunity to pay twice, only to come out and change it suddenly”.
Also when asked about his opinion on the delayed SUG election, he said “It is unfortunate we are still discussing having election at this time. It’s long overdue and election should be conducted immediately”.
Below is the article written by Adeosun:
WHEN CONFUSION ENTHRONE THE THRONE: WHAT IS THE FATE Of AAUAITES?
ṢÈYÍFÚNMI FRANCIS ADÉỌ̀ṢUN (FRANCOFONE)
28-08-2021
Without doubt in my mind, I can bear witness to the fact that the silence that has be clouded our world today as students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko is really deafening.
The state of things has kept many in the dark. Yes, with our eyes wide open, we can’t see clearly what is before we let alone the pregnant future.
To start with, the new session has begun and freshers and returning students have left their various homes to begin and further their pursuit of one degree or another, respectively.
While it is incumbent on me to welcome the fresh blood to one of the most promising campuses in Nigeria, it is well dutiful for me to wish the returning students a stressless semester, even when on the contrary the semester is already dragging our mental health with us.
As we head to the 3rd week of resumption, a lot of things seem to be unclear. Many questions are raised without answers. Many hopes are hanging on the scale, is the case really balance? At your own end, find the answer.
Just before the end of the last session, Education students who haven’t paid their tuition fees were initially not deployed to observe their teaching practices. Well, after different appeals, they were eventually “conditionally” allowed to go on with the teaching practice.
By next week, the exercise will be over, but those who haven’t paid their fees are yet to be supervised (as of the time of writing this piece), which means that they have merely successfully wasted a session.
For the records, I am not an advocate of the school of thought that students should not pay school fees. I will never encourage such an ungrateful attitude. But, we all agree that this is a difficult time, as such I suggest it requires a lot more considerable lenient approach, else, any other policy becomes not just insensitive but tyrannical.
Our worries are being further compounded with the rumours going round that students would now have to pay their tuition fees in full before they would even be able to have access to Continous Assessment and that those in the final class won’t be allocated to a supervisor unless full payment is made.
This is coming when the parents are still trying to get accustomed to the unprecedented skyrocketed hike in tuition fees. This act was followed by a pandemic that has stampede many activities which we are yet to get out of.
If indeed it is true that the management is contemplating not allowing installment payment of school fees then it will be a paradigm shift from the promise while the school fees were increased. As a matter of fact, the installment payment made things seem easier, even though it’s actually not.
If I’m permitted to ask, “are we actually getting the training worth the amount being paid?” It is not only unfair but hypocritical to deny one party of a benefit claiming breach while you have not been faithful yourself. It’s like a man who divorces his wife because she cheated on him having been put on condition by a superior, while he himself had fathered a kid outside their marriage. It will be totally unfair.
Long before now, AAUA was the savior as many parents could afford the school fees. In fact, the first point of attraction for people coming here was because the tuition was affordable. All of a sudden, we are meant to realize that “Education is not cheap” and that “it’s not for people with low self-esteem”, yes, “AAUA is a brand” and quite agree and are trying to cope.
After paying the acceptance fee of 50,000 you will have to compulsorily cough out another 100-150,000 without thinking twice! Imagine having 2 kids, just imagine parents who are civil servants and are owed a backlog of salaries, imagine the petty trader who wants the best for his or her child!
It is becoming more saddening because there is no one to stand for the students. The assembly of the students (STUDENTS UNION) has been crippled by some selfish and egocentric individuals who well, already have their places in history. As of today, students have no leaders, whatever some of us are doing can’t be official, it can only be persuasive.
We have over time breached our constitution, ranging from the tenure of office to the qualification and conduct of election into various offices. Today, those agitating that election be conducted are seen as “#oppositions and #hypocrites” and said to be on the watch list!
Our hopes are really hanging not on the balanced scale! What we are experiencing is a replica of the state of nature as pictured by John Locke. Even when there seem to be peace, it’s not absolute, it’s precarious, like a graveyard silence, which is a lot more dangerous.
It is as well on speculation that the management wants to stop “backend registration”. This is not only worrisome but heartbreaking. To think a student will have to forfeit a whole session because he couldn’t afford the obnoxious school fee is the height of it all.
What can be more pathetic, *NO ONE IS TALKING!* The lack of communication between the management and the students, students and their leaders is really tearing us apart!
Permit me at this juncture to reiterate once again that I am not in support of students not paying their fees, but for obvious reasons, salt should not be added to the injuries already sustained.
We all agree that COVID-19 has done a lot of damages that even the government can not afford salaries.
Let the installment payment remain, for both freshers and returning students.
The backend registration too should remain. It is enough punishment that a late penalty has been attached to it, which in turn becomes another source of income for the institution.
May I further advice and appeal that the Students Union election be conducted as soon as possible for the voice of the students to be heard. We have to have a voice, someone must lead us!
THIS SILENCE IS DEAFENING, SOMEONE SHOULD TALK TO US!!!
This piece was published on AAUA INSIDER, with minimal editing to preserve the author’s original message.
Author
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Adekunle Oluwatobi is a poet and a writer with a profound interest in discussions aimed at building a productive society and fostering peaceful coexistence.He is friendly, amicable and also an ardent sports enthusiast. A lover of books and quality information, he is on a quest of reaching out to people by improving the quality of information they receive.