I've just stumbled on an article with the above headline online. The author, Ogar Monday, insinuated that the "no fee, no exams" policy of the Cross River University of Technology, (CRUTECH) which the management reiterated in a release recently is in disobedience to Governor Ben Ayade's free tuition fee policy for indigenous students studying in the University.
The sensational report, to say the least, is very misleading, inappropriate and inciteful. It seems to me as a planted report aimed at portraying the management as being disobedient to constituted authority while in the process, set the students against the school authority.
It's instructive to state unequivocally that there was never a time the Governor directed that CRUTECH students of Cross River decent shouldn't pay school fee. The Governor's free TUITION for Cross Riverians studying in the institution doesn't translate to no school fee payment or free tertiary education.
In fee schedule, TUITION fee is one of many items that make up what is referred to as "School Fee". It's usually less than N5, 000. In fact, during my undergraduate days in CRUTECH, the tuition fee was less than N2, 000, this is even as I paid over N70, 000 as sum total of school fee from my 200 level.
With the state's dwindling revenue and poor federal allocation, Cross River government doesn't have the luxury to run a completely free tertiary education policy. Also, the fee subsidy by the Governor was not intended at causing confusion but to assist parents because of the hardship caused by the dwindling economy occasioned by the ravaging Coronavirus pandemic and the #EDNSARS protest.
Tuition fee is not the same as school fee. It is just an item under school fee just like library fee, students dues, courses registration fee, studio fee, etc.
CRUTECH cannot survive without school fee because like most Universities in the country, it relies heavily on school fee as major source of revenue. I hope this changes in the nearest future but for now, this is the reality.
Instead of people promoting things that would steer up unnecessary tension in the University, they should rather encourage students to pay their fee because CRUTECH is not running a fee education policy.
I'm not speaking as a spokesperson of the University nor as a staff but as a concerned alumnus. Also, I was preview to the official statement on the Governor's free tuition fee policy from the government house, Calabar.
Let's help the school by supporting the new management that has shown great vision and enthusiasm to improve on the achievements of previous administrations rather than striving to cause confusion.
Thank you.
God bless CRUTECH.
God bless Cross River.
God bless Nigeria.
Inyali Peter
Concerned Alumnus.
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