IS OPEN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DEMAND OUTRAGEOUS?
By Abdulrazaq O Hamzat
http://mrrights.com.ng/index.php/home/

Students of National Open University of Nigeria made certain demands
from its management some months ago, failure to response has now led
to the major confrontation between the students and the management.
Last week, the students call on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the
Vice Chancellor and others. And in return, the University announced
the expulsion of two of the student leaders. Myself (Abdulrazaq O
Hamzat) and Elias Ozikpu. We are therefore making this demand public
for the purpose of public assessment.
It is of popular understanding that, the National Open University of
Nigeria was established on 3 core principles. These 3 principles are:
1.Affordability 2.Accessibility 3.Flexibility.
The University, according to its founding objectives was to provide
platform for all Nigerians irrespective of their economic
status,location or background to access tertiary education to improve
their lives.
However, it is regrettable that these 3 core principles by which the
University was established has now been compromised. The University is
no longer affordable, accessible nor flexible as stated at the time of
its establishment.
We came to the above conclusion because, a federal University, where
students officially pay over N100,000 every session cannot claim to be
affordable. This is apart from the unofficial fee amounting to over
N50,000. Open University today is the most expensive federal
university, it is also the only federal institution, where students
have no freedom of association, or freedom to complain over the undue
violation. It is our view that, if the University is no longer
affordable as it pride itself to be, it can not claim to be accessible
nor flexible. Affordability birth accessibility and flexibility.
We therefore note that, our quest to uphold the 3 core principles of
the University gave birth
to these demands, hoping that the University would look into it for
the good of all Nigerians. We want to also note that, this was our
patriotic act to internally resolve all issues concerning students.
SEMESTER FEE
After paying a session fee, the University receive separate fee in
second semester. They call it, semester fee. The fee was initially
N2,500, it was increased to N13,000. We are asking: What is semester
fee? Why the increase? Why should students pay for semester fee, after
they had paid for the session fee?
COURSE MATERIAL FEE
National Open University of Nigeria have over 350,000 students, and
the total fee received from students every year for course material is
over N14, 000, 000,000 (Fourteen Billion Naira). Students pay for
course materials which is mandatory,but the University never provides
these materials. Students have to source for extra funds to buy the
materials else where and if you can’t, you lost. So, we are
asking,what does the University do with the N14, 000, 000,000
(Fourteen Billion Naira) it receives for course material since it
doesn’t provide the materials? Why should students continue to pay
these fee since they don’t get what they paid for?
EXAMINATION FEE
Every student pay N1000 per course as examination fee and the total
fee received by NOUN every year for examination is N5,600,000, 000
(Five Billion, Six Hundred Million Naira). For each course registered
by students, he or she must pay N1000 as examination fee. In total,
the University receives N5,600,000, 000 (Five Billion, Six Hundred
Million Naira) yearly as examination fee. We must ask: Why should
students pay a separate fee for examination, after they had paid for
the session, semester etc? Is the session examination not part of the
session?
RESEARCH PROJECT FEE
It is not clear why the University charges a COMPULSORY registration
fee for research project for final-year students. Last semester
(2014/15 academic session), this fee was charged at N10,000. Now, the
University has, for unknown reasons, and without any official notice
to its students, decided to increase this fee to the sum of N15,000.
For its post graduate students, the University increased the research
project fee from N15,000 to N40,0000.
We must ask:Why should student pay the University such huge amount for
a research that would be carried out by the students themselves?.
INDUSTRIAL TRAINING FEE
The University charges a COMPULSORY registration fee of N10,000 for
Industrial Training which is usually deducted directly from the
student portal. Additionally, students pay another N1,000 which must
be paid separately into the University’s Stanbic IBTC Bank account for
the same Industrial Training! Therefore, for embarking on an
Industrial Training alone, students of the University pay Eleven
Thousand Naira (N11,000) to the management. We must ask: Why should
students pay the University for an industrial training that would be
done by the students themselves? Why should our students be paying for
I.T, when students from other Institutions get paid to undergo the
same training?
TEACHING PRACTICE FEE
The University also charges the sum of Ten Thousand Naira (N10,000)
from each student in the department of Education before they under-go
teaching practices. This is an exercise in which students from other
institution get paid to undergo, yet, Open University students have to
pay its own management to undergo the same exercise.We must ask:This
payment is for what?
RESULT VERIFICATION FEE
It is not clear why the University also charges a fee for what it
termed 'Result Verification'. This fee is payable every year and it is
charged at N5,000. Despite this fee being paid, students who have
attempted to verify the authenticity of the controversial results have
largely collided on a rock. At no point did the University ever
responded adequately to any student inquiry about result verification.
So, if results are not verifiable, how then can the National Open
University of Nigeria justify the receipt of this money from students?
Please note: The total amount the University receive every year as
result verification fee is N1,750,000,000. (One Billion, Seven Hundred
and Fifty Million Naira)
LAW SCHOOL
The National Open University of Nigerian currently has 3 sets of law
graduates of which, none has been mobilized to the Nigerian Law
School. We are saying, enough is enough. Graduates of Open University
should be admitted to the law school. We shall be directing our
agitation, not just at the leadership Of NOUN, but also at the Council
Of Legal Education and National University Commission.
NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE CORPS
Each students of NOUN have been paying N6,000 as NYSC regularization
fee to its own management, yet no students of the University had been
mobilized. Why should students continue to pay?
IT IS OUR RIGHT TO HAVE FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

http://mrrights.com.ng/index.php/home/

Jesu Christi

its funny, but true

You asked a question nd my ansa is YES. U calculated their income without checkin dia xpenditurx, even in conventional skuls students regista dia cox nd stil buy tex buks at hi price. as an (ODL) Noun dnt encourage unionism even among dia staff nt to talk of student. nd to d xtent of protestin... Uncle there ar beta ways of xpresin concerns. "my opinion" "prone to errors nd corections" SHALON....

Students pay up to 3000 for a course and they will not get the material. Is that how it is done in other places? The fact that some people can accept the violation of their freedom of association does not mean it is right. What is wrong will always be wrong

And I wan come run programme for NOUN, u don discourage me already.

This is the truth, know the situation before you go in

I will appreciate if the moderator can move this post to the front page. Thanks

Not outrageous at all.
cc Lalasticlala

Not outrageous at all.
cc Lalasticlala

This is the simple demand that got 2 of the student activists expelled.