Parents and guardians of students studying various disciplines at the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Ebonyi State, have cried out over the jacking of tuition fees by management of the university and urged Minister of Education to urgently intervene on the matter.

A statement released by the Bursary Department of the institution indicates that Medicine and Surgery has increased of 42.86% from N1, 30, 000 in the 2023/2024 academic session to N1.5 Million in the new 2025/2026 session while Pharmacy and Nursing Sciences were both jacked up from N730, 000 in the 2023/2024 academic session to N1, 50, 000 in the new 2025/2026 academic session which represents approximately 43.84% increment.

Reacting to the new development, a business man who Chief Ozor Festus who claimed that his two children both gained admission to study Medicine and Surgery and Pharmacy, lamented that despite the brilliance of his children that made them gain admission on merit, it is now seeming like a curse as he cannot afford to cough out nearly N3M to process the entrance of his children for a Federal University he felt was funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

?A lot of parents are grumbling over the school fees for new students because it is a Federal University and not a private university. Even in private universities, the fees are not this outrageous,? he said

He said although the fees covered their accommodations, it was yet on a very high side. ?We are begging the Minister for Education to come and help us bring these high fees down to where other parents like us can afford.

? I know that there are some who can pay it but it is not right for a new Federal University to pay such a huge amount. I think even UNN which is a premier University still pays around N200, 000 or thereabouts. Or did they build the hostels with gold? I almost didn?t believe it because I thought it was around N1million for both courses,? he lamented.

Also reacting, a retired civil servant whose daughter gained admission to study Medicine and Surgery, Mrs. Roseline Eze decried the development, describing their situation as helpless. ?We are truly helpless because we don?t know what to do now. They have given new fees and people like us who are retirees may not meet up with the new fees unless there?s an intervention?, she lamented.

She called for a probe by the Federal Ministry of Education on why such high fees are demanded and who is responsible for it. ?I have heard that this school is expensive but I didn?t know it would reach up to this because the Federal Government pays all the staff. I am a Federal civil servant retiree, and I think I understand how these things work. The government is also doing lots of projects in the University; not all the projects through TETFUND. Where is the money going into then?? she questioned.

She further reasoned that even if about 3,000 students of the institution pay N1million, it will amount to about N3BN from basic school fees alone. ?And those who fail Exams are still meant to pay 50% to enable them resit for the Exams. Imagine that! I don?t know who is behind all these but I want the parent ministry of Education to investigate it so that our children will not be denied what some of them have gained by merit,? (The Sun)

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