Let’s Look Into The ‘Killer’ Fee Concern Raised By Students

Somewhere last week, we carried on our front page a story on agitations on the Accra City Campus of the University of Ghana, Legon. The agitations, as we reported, stemmed from the fact that there has been an almost ten per cent (10%) increment in the university’s fees for this academic year.

According to the students, this was a trend that had come to stay, which was that every academic year the university authorities review upwards their fees. And this was seriously affecting many of the students.

We even learnt that students who could not afford the yearly fee charges have no other option than to defer their courses for a year/two till they get the money to enrol back and continue their courses of study.

In fact, Weekend Today is not the least surprised that some concerned students of the University of Ghana, Legon, have formally petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Aaron Ocquaye, over what they say are exorbitant fees charged by the university.

The petition of the concerned UG students is about the arbitrary increase of fees every academic year. They are therefore asking Parliament to look into the matter before the university even starts billing them.

We must not wait till we get to the billing point, especially now that the matter is at an infant stage. We would like to appeal to the authorities to look into the matter as early as possible to avoid any unnecessary friction from both sides and the attendant disruptions that go with such confrontations. It is at this early stage that both sides can sit down and agree amicably. Understanding must work.

Education, no doubt, is expensive. However, we should not encourage an environment where education will be for only the rich and where the average Ghanaian parent is unable to afford education for his/her children.

It is in the light of the above that Weekend Today is appealing to the university authorities while an amicable solution is found to the matter.

The petition by the concerned UG students, we are being told, was received by the Bawku Central Member of Parliament (MP), Hon. Mahama Ayariga, who is also the Chairman of the Subsidiary of Legislation Committee, which committee understandably looks into matters like this.

Weekend Today is elated at the assurance by Mr. Ayariga to the effect that his committee will look into the matter. However, one issue he raised which we think is critical is that some public universities have not complied with the law which mandates them to present their proposed fees to Parliament for consideration.

We want to use this medium to appeal to all public universities in the country who have not complied to do so. The ultimate is that we want fees that will be acceptable to both the universities and the students.

Source: Today