LASU To Refund Students’ Tuition After Govt Reduction
The Lagos State University, (LASU) authorities said they are making arrangements to refund over N840 million to students who had paid the new fees before it was slashed by the state government.
It will be recalled that Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola announced a return to the university’s old school fees structure recently during the 19th Convocation Ceremony of the university 30th Anniversary Celebration at the Main Auditorium, Ojo, Lagos.
The vice chancellor of the university, Professor John Obafunwa, who disclosed this while speaking with newsmen said the state government decided to refund the money to the students who have paid the fees before it was reversed.
He said ,“We have already calculated the excess paid by the students. Don’t forget that even before the reversal, a lot of them had already paid for this session. We have calculated over N840 million.
“It will only be for this session. The reversal does not mean LASU will go back to where it used to be and the problems of the past. You cannot go beyond the available infrastructure. You cannot take more than what you can’t admit. I don’t see any disadvantage in the reduction of the fees.”
The VC explained that the reversal of the fees was not completely a decision of the university’s management.
Obafunwa added, “Don’t forget there is still the governing council and government is equally being involved. It is a joint decision. Be that as it may, it is a welcome decision in a way, depending on who is looking at it or commenting.”
According to him, the reversal of the fees would have both good and bad sides noting that the reversal did not mean there would be a reduction in the expenditure of the school.
He said ,“There are always good and bad sides of everything. You reduce the school fees, but that does not mean a reduction in the expenditure of the school. It will still remain the same. Whether you like it or not, someone will have to pick up the bills.
“We thank the Lagos State government and House of Assembly.
Nothing is going to happen to all the capital projects going on in the university. The students have a role to play, they should take advantage of the fee reduction, pay attention to their studies and they need to be more serious.”
He said the institution anticipated other ripple effect from the reduction, saying it might lead to a rush for LASU admission since the fees has been brought back to the normal rate.
“You can be sure that next year, you will have lots of people applying to come to LASU. You must have the necessary infrastructure in place to accommodate any number. If you have more people applying to LASU, it gives you the opportunity to pick from the best.
“ We are preparing our minds for those things; we expect parents to educate their children to maintain a very high standard,” he added.
