The administration of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Anambra State, has finally bowed to student pressure and drastically reduced tuition.
This follows a five-day negotiation with the institution’s Students Union Government.
UNIZIK students took to the streets to protest the increase in school fees and requested an immediate reduction in the fees.
“Our school fees jumped from N20,100 to N56,700,” one of the protesting students told THE FOLIO POST on Monday.
“Today, students at UNIZIK are demonstrating. There is no longer a distinction between public and private schools.”
The university’s administration worked with SUG members and eventually struck an agreement on Friday, setting the way for a flawless matriculation ceremony on Thursday.
Incoming medicine, pharmacy, and science-based students will now pay N89000 instead of the over N100,000 formerly paid, while arts-based students would pay N84,000. Fees for returning students were also decreased, with science students paying N40000 and art students paying N22,200.
Joseph Ikechebelu, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), who led the negotiating team, expressed joy that normalcy had returned after the tense situation of the previous several days.