Hello fellow abuadites!
The hike in price of school fees for the clinical students should no longer be news
to anyone by now because it is everywhere;
I know we are all aggrieved by the unexpected increase especially the clinical students.
I have also seen various reactions in forms of publications and uproars.
I was also angry when i read the information about the hike in price because it affects me also;
Although I'm a law student, my sister is a medicine student and we both attend ABUAD.
However, my dear colleagues, we should not be too spontaneous to react publicly,
ignoring the adverse effects of such reactions.
We should not forget that Afe Babalola university is not the founder or registrar's university;
It is our own university and no matter what we say or do,
we will carry its label wherever we go for the rest of our lives.
I am well aware that the increase was totally unexpected, but in my humble perspective,
I feel the solution does not lie in making publications and public reactions
about the hike;
Whether we accept it or not,
we are tarnishing our own image and reputation not the school's because
we are the products of Afe Babalola University.
You don't throw stones and bricks at your
own house and expect something positive to come out of it;
This issue is an internal issue so let's bring it home!
We have a father in person of Aare Afe Babalola, SAN who is ever ready to hear us out;
Let's table this matter before him directly.
We should not wash our linens in public for everyone to see;
Rather, we should create a committee of student representatives that will make our
grievances and concerns known to the school management;
As much as we are not happy with what has been done, I can bet that they are also not happy with what we are doing;
We can't achieve what we want through public displays, we are only compounding the issue.
I know the hike in school fees is on the high side and trust me, I also want something to be done about it; but the truth is that the school authorities would have thought about all the consequences and repercussions of such a tremendous increase before proceeding to publish the news;
Let's not forget that ABUAD is not a federal or state university;
They get all the facilities and state-of-art equipment themselves, nothing is subsidized;
And medicine requires lots of these equipment;
However, as much as they cannot afford to run at a loss;
So also many of our parents are salary earners and even those that are self-employed, will not have foreseen such overnight hike so it won't be easy to meet up with the increase;
This is why there have to be a consensus ad idem(meeting ot the minds) between both parties so that a mutual consensus can be reached;
Linda Ikeji can't reduce the fees nor can the press do anything;
Let's approach our founder and discuss like father and children,
about this recent development;I am sure he won't disperse us
without seeing a smile on our faces.
Long live ABUAD!
Long live Aare Afe Babalola!!
Long live the great Abuadites!!!
Maybe it's because your parents that can afford it, or maybe your sister isn't in the first set.
ReplyDeleteSo how about you truly put yourself in our shoes when you are given 22 days' notice of a whopping 1.4 million naira increase to your school fees.
We did not publish anything that wasn't true.
We went to the school directly at first and it wasn't till Punch published that they responded.
We too do not want to tarnish the school but we also would like to graduate and not get kicked out at 400 level because of a 180% school fee hike!
Even when our parents met with the management for hours all they could get was a N100,000 reduction.
Every action was well planned. Any consequences brought upon the school was self-inflicted.
Tanks for the observation! My sister isn't in the first set but she will definitely get to that level soon and it will take only the grace of God for my parents to afford such an amount, especially when we have three other siblings. I am not saying we should not react. I also want them to reduce this fees because it is outrageous. My parents are also complaining bitterly. All am saying is that any reaction should be centred within ABUAD because that's where any action towards the reduction can take place. If we involve the press like we already did and the school begins to spend time and resources battling with the press, in a bid to redeem their image, it won't yield any good.
DeleteUnlike federal universities where the students can react publicly because their grievances are towards the government, ABUAD is a private university; owned by one man so any grievances should be channelled towards him. Ok i'm just informed that our parents have met with the founder, didn't know that before but still, we just have to drag the attention away from the public and keep pleading with them internally.
They increased the fees and they are the only ones that can reduce it not the government nor the press. So let's fight this battle within the walls of ABUAD. That's my opinion though.
I understand what you mean but frankly they were not listening to our pleas till the press got involved.
ReplyDeleteLet's just hope it works out in end