School fees: 4,000 UNIOSUN students could be expelled today

Over 4,000 students of the University of Osun are owing school fees amounting to over N2bn, the management of the institution has said.

A statement released by the corporate affairs unit of UNIOSUN noted that the students could be expelled if they failed to pay up today, February 28.

The statement signed by Gafar Shitu, acting registrar, said majority of the affected students had invested their school fees in the MMM scheme or diverted it for other purposes.

The management said students who are unable to meet up with the deadline can apply in writing to the school authorities to grant them leave of absence for the current semester with a sworn affidavit, pledging to make payment before resumption from the leave of absence.

“Over 4000 students of Osun State University may lose their studentship for failing to pay their school fees before the expiration of February 28, 2017, deadline set by the university management,” the statement read.

“No fewer than 400 parents/guardians of the defaulting students have called the University help lines to report that they had long given money to their children/wards.

“The university Senate at its meeting of January 26, 2017, after observing that a large number of students had refused to turn up in spite of ceaseless appeals, decided that the students’ portal be reopened longer into the 12th week of resumption against the four weeks stipulated in the University regulations.

“The decision of the University Senate, which was adequately communicated to all the students on February 2, 2017, was to afford more students the opportunity to pay their fees with effect from 17th to 24th February 2017, a date which was later extended until February 28, 2017.

“On 16 February 2017, some students embarked on a protest against the enforcement of extant rules and regulations regarding fee payment and registration.

“Investigations show that over 90 percent of the protesters had not registered for between two and 11 semesters, and were thus using the stipulated late registration penalty of N10, 000 as a smokescreen for their years of defaulting in fee payment and registration.”