Students kick as BUK, UNIBEN increase fees
There is tension at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), and the University of Benin (UNIBEN) over recent increment of administrative fees for new and returning students by the schools’ managements monitored by myschoolnews
UmarFarouk123 
The students’ union of the two universities has kicked against the increment, while some parents have called for a reversal of the new administrative charges.
The managements of BUK and UNIBEN announced in a circular the new administrative fees, which resulted in 40 per cent and 100 per cent increment for new and old returning students.
Reports from the two campuses, indicated palpable tension and agitation by students for the management of the two institutions to review the increased administrative charges.
The managements of BUK and UNIBEN said the charges took effect from the 2022/2023 academic session.
Announcing the increment, BUK, in a circular dated May 24, 2023, said new students must pay N10,000 as acceptance fee before being screened.
A breakdown of the new charges indicate that old students in the faculties of Arts, Islamic Studies, Law, Social Sciences and Management Sciences are to pay N95,000, new students N105,000. Those in the faculties of Banking and Finance and Accounting are to pay N97,000 (old students) and fresh students, N107,000.
New students in the faculties of Computing, Communication, Earth and Environmental Sciences and Education will pay N110,000 and returning students are to cough out N100,000. New students of Geology, Urban and Regional Planning and Architecture are to pay N115,000, old students N110,000.
In the faculties of Allied Health Sciences and Basic Medical Sciences, fresh students will pay N150,000, old students N140,000.
Those in Clinical Sciences (MBBS) and Dentistry to pay N160, 000 for returning students), N170, 000 (new students). For Veterinary Medicine, new students will pay N120, 000 and returning students N110, 000.
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Further breakdown revealed that in faculties of Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Physical Sciences, old students are to pay N102, 000, fresh students N112, 000. Those in faculties Agriculture Engineering and Quantity Surveying will pay N101, 000 (returning students) and N111, 000 for new students.
BUK foreign students in faculties and colleges of Arts and Islamic Studies, Social Science and Management Sciences will pay N200, 000. Those in Education and Law will cough out N300, 000.
Foreign students in Agriculture, Communication, Computing, Engineering, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and School of Continuing Education will pay N400, 000 while those in College of Health Sciences including Pharmaceutical Sciences are to pay N600, 000.
For UNIBEN, the new fees are applicable to science and non-science students admitted for full-time undergraduates courses for 2022/2023 academic session. However, the management said students admitted before the 2023 session would continue to pay the old charges.
The management of UNIBEN introduced a new demission to the administrative fees by including accreditation, sanitation, ICT certificate screening and counseling for new students to pay.
The Education Report gathered that before the new increment, science students use to pay N73, 000 but are now to cough out N190, 000. Non-science students use to pay N69, 000 are now to pay N170, 000.
A breakdown of the increment for fresh science student include exam and lab fees at N30, 000, library N15, 000, sports N5, 000, ICT N5,000, counselling N1,000, utility N20,000, medical charge/life insurance N5,000, accreditation N24,000, sanitation N7,000, bank/portal charges N5,500, development levy N20,000, students union dues N2,500, orientation brochure N5,000, certificate screening N5,000, academic gown N5,000 and forensic ID card N5,000.
The only difference for non-science students is that they are to pay N10, 000 for laboratory while other fees remains same like the science students.
The President of UNIBEN Students Union, Nmoye Israel, described the new charges in an online post as typographic error and called on students to remain calm, as the ‘error’ would be corrected.
